| M BRACKET Match 1 - Mark Ailshie Malissant vs. Pikachu Malissant scowled as he stood on the wall of his palace at the bottom of the caverns. This little electric mouse was proving difficult to find. Of course, the Shontung Caverns were vast. One small animal could become lost forever. His troops were out looking for the animal, but didn't seem to be having much luck. He looked over the parapet at the miles of cavernous rock around him, dimly lit by the florescent mold growing on the walls and ceiling. Where was it? A hyrolmede ambled up to him. "My lord?" it snarled through its beaked mouth. Malissant let it wait for a few minutes, and then turned to face him. "Any sign of the animal?" "No, my lord, except. . ." The hyrolmede nervously clicked his huge crab-like claws. "Falgrak hasn't returned from the quagarant mine. It's been over two hours, sir." Malissant smiled. Of course. The mine. The only place nearby where there was free-standing water. He should have guessed that an electric pokemon would have headed there. He wasn't concerned for Falgrak -- he always had more hyrolmedes -- and he was sure that Pikachu had made short work of him. Without answering the hyrolmede, Malissant leaped over the parapet and started floating toward the mine. Unlike his brother Korps, Malissant couldn't alter his physical form -- the avatar host body would never survive -- but he could float it on a wave of dark energy. As he flew, Malissant started gathering Malice for his attack. This wouldn't take long. Pikachu drank deeply of the water. Ugh! It was cold! He couldn't see any fish or other water-pokemon in the pool. For that matter, he couldn't see much life anywhere. Only a few caterpillars and insects -- nothing large enough to be a Caterpie. And, of course, that crab-thing. He wondered what it had been. It had looked like a cross between a Mankey and a Kingler. But one good Thunderbolt had taken care of it. He heard a crackling sound, and looked toward it. His mouth dropped open as a huge black cloud floated toward him. It didn't look like a storm -- more like something Weezing would have attacked with -- except it was far too big. The clouds parted, and Pikachu saw a man riding the cloud. He recognized him immediately -- Malissant, the man he had been sent to battle. "Pika, Pika!" he shouted, and shot a Thundershock at him. Malissant smiled and cast a shield of Malice to swallow the electricity. This would be fun. He seized the Pokemon with a tendril of smoke and yanked it into the air. Laughing, he slammed it into a wall, onto the ground, sent it rocketing into the ceiling and let it fall back to the ground. Bruised, Pikachu struggled to his feet. Mewtwo had done the same thing, and Pikachu had no idea how to defeat it. Especially if his electric attacks were ineffective. Malissant enjoyed torture, but he grew bored of it quickly. Snarling, he shot a lance of Malice -- mixed with Fire, for good measure -- at the animal, and fried it to a crisp. The prophecies had said nothing about electric animals, so he knew he had nothing to fear. He just had to keep his eyes open for that elf. Winner: Malissant Match 2 - Alexander Strub Amalickiah vs. Joan of Arc The caverns were cold and damp in the late evening, and Joan the Maid could feel the condensation on her armor. She was fully prepared to deal with all of the enemy of France. But she had not anticipated this enemy. Amalickiah watched the pretty young woman walk along, blade drawn and ready for action. Amalickiah had his macana, a Mesoamerican wooden club with obsidian jags sticking out of the sides, ready as well. Perhaps he wouldn't have to kill her...she would make an excellent addition to his harem. If she proved resistant, he would think of something. He took out Lehonti and the Lamanite King, didn't he? He could take out insolent peasant girls like it was nobody's business. Yes, he would make himself known to her. "Greetings!" Joan of Arc was taken completely by surprise as a man walked out of the shadows. His chest was bare, and a jaguar skin was draped about his shoulders, with the jaguar's head perched on his own like a hood, its palms crossed just beneath his neck. His hair was dark and shaggy, with mustache and beard scraggily hanging from his head. Joan could not for the life of her figure this man out. "Who...who are you?" she asked. "I am Amilickiah, King of the Lamanites!" he proclaimed, "Come let's walk together. It's dangerous here. All sorts of strange creatures." Joan agreed, grudgingly. She would keep an eye on him at all times. They walked down a rock-hewn corridor until they came to an open room. Amilickiah studied his traveling companion warily. She was clad in full plate armor except for her head, and had a large steel broad sword that made Amilickiah envious. She might be more difficult to defeat than he thought. "Huuhhh" Amalickiah gasped. Joan turned to him in shock. "What's that?" he asked fearfully, pointing over Joan's shoulder. Joan quickly turned to face the impending danger, and felt Amalickiah's macana come crashing down on her skull. "Haha!" the wicked king laughed. He put on the armor and draped his jaguar skin over the top, and took her broadsword, put it in its scabbard, tied the belt around his waist, pulled his macana out of her cleaved head, and walked away, cackling fiendishly. Treachery had triumphed once again. Winner: Amalickiah, King of the Lamanites Match 3 - Robert Newell Alien vs. Mike Tyson The cave was very dark. Mike Tyson could barely see anything at all. He was supposed to fight someone simply called 'Alien'. He did not know what kind of alias that was, but he was ready to beat that person into a bloody pulp. He wasn't even aware of what kind of trouble he was in. The Alien climbed down from the wall behind Mike Tyson. It was very hungry. One swift bite with its second set of jaws from behind ate what little brain Mike Tyson had. Winner: The Alien Match 4 - Mark Ailshie Stilgar vs. Gambit Stilgar breathed deeply. He was used to life in a cave. He could smell the rich smell of water � more water than he had ever felt in one place before. But he had expected that. Only on Arrakis were they not so wasteful of water. Gambit's lip curled up. This place was too dry. He had fought in plenty of locals as an X-man, but still thought of the Bayou as the proper climate for himself. He looked at his surroundings. A busy little town filled with busy little people, none of which would look him in the eye. Scared people. He looked up, and noted that there was no sky. Only a huge ceiling of rock with glowing mold. He drew a card and started looking for his foe. Stilgar noticed a few houses away what was almost certainly not a local. He wore the wrong colors --Stilgar himself was lucky enough to blend in fairly well in his long brown cloak. If any looked closely, they would notice the still-suit and his sonic weapon, and wonder if he was a native. And, of course, if they noticed his tan, it was a certainty. But Gambit wore a dark-purple, skintight suit, and he stuck out like a sore thumb. Stilgar was a basically honorable man, by Fremen standards. But he had learned to never give up an advantage, and surprise was definitely on his side this time. He drew his weapon and waited for Gambit to turn his back. Gambit was very observant. One of the "villagers" was a good deal taller than the others. Then he had noticed the gun -- he supposed that was what it was. He pretended not to notice and turned his back. "Muaaaadib!" shouted Stilgar, and Gambit leapt aside, as the sonic weapon tore through the clay hut in front of him. Gambit launched his cards, and the ground around Stilgar exploded. Stilgar scrambled to his feet and faced his enemy. The villagers had scattered at the first sign of violence, and now they had the entire square to themselves. They circled a moment. "Come on then," taunted the Fremen. "We're neither of us getting any younger." Gambit tossed another card, and closed with his quarterstaff. This time, Stilgar dodged the cards, thinking they were some kind of explosive -- which they are, as it happens, and closed on the purple warrior, grabbing his staff. The two struggled over the staff for a few seconds, but Stilgar was by far the stronger of the two, and yanked it out of his hands. He then proved himself to be also the better staff-fighter, sweeping Gambit off his feet and cracking him hard on the head. Gambit saw stars, and his knees gave way under him. Stilgar drew his Crysknife. Once drawn, it could not be sheathed until it had drunk blood. He struck out, but Gambit dodged and caught the sacred knife in the shoulder. Gambit seized the knife's hilt, and the two struggled with it a little more, but Stilgar had the obvious advantage, and drove the knife under Gambit's chin and through his head. Winner: Stilgar Match 5 - Robert Newell Magneto vs. Daniel the Karate Kid Magneto walked down the tunnel in the darkness. He had no light, nor did he need one. He could feel the magnetic ores in the walls and their distance from him. His opponent was a mere boy, doubtless with a gun or knife or other worthless weapon that Magneto could use against him. He would not stand a chance. Daniel fumbled around in the dark, he could not see a thing in the pitch dark cavern that he was in. He tried to calm himself using one of Mr. Miyagi's techniques. Suddenly, he saw something up ahead, dimly outlined by a faint florescent moss. The figure was tall and he wore a cape and helmet. Daniel could not make out the colors in the dim light and distance. This must be his opponent. Daniel crept up closely behind Magneto. Daniel took Magneto totally by surprise as he crane-kicked him in the back of the head. Magneto was sent reeling. Magneto was shocked when he sensed that Daniel had no metal on him at all! His clothing was all cloth and he bore no weapons. Magento was old, but he tried to fend off the relentless blows that Daniel was raining on him. Just as Daniel was reaching back for the finishing blow, Magneto got desperate. He literally ripped the veins of metal ore from the ceiling down on top of them. Daniel was killed by the falling rubble, but Magneto saved himself. He used the ores that he was manipulating to form a barrier around him. Some of the rocks managed to fall through before his shield was set up and one struck him in the head. He was knocked unconscious for several hours. When he awoke, he did not know where he was... or who he was... or what he was... He wandered aimlessly down the tunnel. Winner: Magneto (with amnesia) Match 6 - Brian Ailshie Chewbacca vs James '007' Bond The mighty Chewbacca lifted his bowcaster and sniffed. His superior Wookie sense of smell told him little though. Their was some sort of fungus growing on the wall that gave off light and a fragrance that partially masked the smell of the other inhabitants and those were plentiful enough that he couldn't distinguish the one particular human smell. Oh well. He would just have to stalk him down. Chewie chose quickly and headed off for a tunnel on the left side of the cavern he was in. Bond appeared in a similar cavern. He had not the Wookie sense of smell, but he did have a complicated locater Q had given him. Whipping it out he punched a few keys. Intelligence had snuck a peak at his possible opponents and Q had outfitted him as usual with all sorts of gadgets to help him. Some he understood like this locator that was now using a mix of radar, sonar, infra-red, magnetism, and a mix of other systems to search out the direction of his first opponent. Some however, he had no idea how they worked or what they really would do either. Like this 'anti-magic' grenade. What would it do? Would he really fight magic? It all seemed like some sort of fantasy story. Oh well, no matter. A job to do, and might as well get to it. Suddenly the locater bleeped at him and an arrow appeared on the display screen; to his right. Drawing his side arm, James started off. The soft beeping of the device started to increase slowly at first then faster and faster. As he drew up to the opening of a cave the beeping became a near constant tone. The creature must be just ahead. The lighting was bad but it looked like a tall, thin bear standing on it's hind paws. In its upper paws was a . . . BLLLLAAAAAMMMMMM!! Bond narrowly dodged the explosion as the creature's crossbow launched a grenade of some sort. Rock showered down around him. James managed to get off a few rounds as he rolled away from another exploding shot from the crossbow. The third tore a chunk of fur from the creature's shoulder and it roared and rushed him. James fired once as he scrambled to his feet and tried to get ready to grapple the thing. Chewie was mad now. Another sting tore at his leg as the human's slug thrower fired again. Deep in his Wookie rage, Chewie hardly even felt it. It was hard to think clearly when these rages came upon him. And later when he calmed down Chewie remembered little of this one. The next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground by a puddle rinsing the blood from his fur. Much of the blood was not his. Looking over at what was left of his opponent, he saw that he had torn the guy's arms out at the shoulder. Shaking his head, Chewie finished patching his two wounds from the mini-med kit from his bandolier. Winner: Chewbacca the Wookie Match 7 - Aaron Bartholomew Elminister vs. Ursula the Sea Witch Standing on luminous moss covering red sandstone, Elminister inspected the immense cavern that lay before him. The old wizard was mildly surprised to see a castle and walled town in these caverns, but he had encountered stranger things in his travels. Much stranger. He had once journeyed to the underground drow cities, but this did not look like those dark elves buildings... no spiders. And somehow, this castle looked much more evil, if possible, than any drow cave. Tearing his concentration from the dark castle, he noticed a small lake between the town and a small cave opening. That would be a good place to look for a Sea Witch. Approaching the mage from Shadowdale cast a minor spell, and walked into the lake. About 20 feet down into the lake, he noticed a strange noise. Drawing into an underground cave, he noticed a half-woman-half-octopus chanting around a cauldron embedded in the cave floor. "Welcome, o almighty mage", the sea witch sarcastically greeted the wizard. "Welcome and farewell!" Elminister watched, almost amused as the cackling witch flung globs of her boiling potion at him. Avoiding them fluidly in the murky water, he almost laughed, until the globs started following him. Shrugging, Elminister cast a Globe of Invulnerability, and watched the witch while the globs crawled and formed outside his protective sphere. Watching the sea witch shriek at him, Elminister prepared a lightning spell, and calculating the angles of the cave wall, then cast the bolt at a nearby wall. The spell's energy crackled through the water, rebounding from the cave's wall several times, each time catching the witch. As he watched the witch's body slowly rise in the water, Elminister considered that it would not be best to foul the only source of drinking water he'd seen in these caverns. Transporting himself, the witch, and the globs of potion back to dry land, the elderly wizard walked back to examine the cave's wall. There must be something in that moss that makes it glow like that... He failed to notice the globs coalesce into one mound of vegetation, and shamble away into the town. Winner: Elminister Match 8 - Mark Ailshie Finn Razel vs. Capt. Hook Captain Hook scowled. He didn't like this cave. He would much prefer the open sea to anything this dark. He had a strange urge to kill an old lady. He had no scruples about doing that of course�A pirate can't afford to make exceptions. If word got out that a pirate had gone soft, pretty soon ships stop surrendering, and then it's nothing but work, work, work all the time. Still, he didn't like to kill anyone without something to steal. Unless it was that little flying brat, of course. Hook smiled at that. He understood that the vile boy had fallen, shocked out of the air like a hawk that had been hit by lightning. The thought pleased him to no end. He looked around himself, and saw that he was looking down on a massive valley in the cave--it couldn't properly be called a cave, though. The ceiling was far too far above his head. The light was a bit dim, but he spotted a crouched shape in a white cloak in the valley below him. Quickly he ducked behind a rock. She seemed to be carrying a stick of some kind. He began loading his black-powder pistol. Razel stretched out with her magical sense, trying to locate the twisted old man she had been sent to fight. She sensed, some distance up the slope on her left, something twisted and evil. She peered in that direction, and saw movement. Snapping Cherlindria's wand at her enemy, she sent a hail of frost to freeze him solid. A surprised yelp let her know that she had hit her mark. Razel climbed slowly up the slope. Her old bones weren't as strong as they used to be. But when she reached the frozen figure, it was not Hook at all. Instead, it was some sort of man-shaped monster with a hooked mouth and the claws and long tail of a scorpion. A Hyrolmede, although Razel had no way of knowing that. Hook shook his head in wonder. Now THAT was something worth stealing. He wondered if the stick was difficult to use, and decided to figure it out once he got it away from the old woman. He took careful aim and pulled back on the trigger. In a flash of smoke, the wand leaped away from Razel's hand and sailed down the hill. Razel looked in the direction of the shot and saw Hook, frantically dashing down the slope after the wand. "He must not reach it!" she thought, and soon both elderly warriors were racing down the hill after the wand. Hook reached it first, but Razel caught him before he figured out what to do with it. They both grabbed the wand and began wrestling over it. Blasts of fire and lightning shot out of the wand's tip, and sailed across the cavern, plunging into walls and ceiling. Hook was dismayed. He was easily stronger than the old woman, but he could only grasp the wand with one hand. It was an even match. If there was one thing Captain Hook hated, it was a fair fight. "Time to uneven the odds," thought Hook, and he jabbed his hook into the woman's hand. Razel shrieked in pain, and Hook yanked the wand away. He pointed the bent stick at Razel. Nothing happened. "You don't know how it works, you fool!" laughed the woman, cradling her wounded hand. It was true enough. Hook shrugged and whipped out his sword. One quick stab and the woman lay dead on the black ground. Hook examined the wand for some time, but came no closer to figuring out how it worked. Oh well. He tucked it into his belt, thinking it might be useful later, and reloaded his pistol. Winner: Captain Hook ROUND 2 Match 1 - Mark Ailshie Malissant vs. Amalickiah Amalickiah exulted in his treachery of Joan of Arc. He grinned in anticipation of his next fight. A dark cloud flew across the glowing roof of the cavern. A cloud indoors? This cave was big, but it couldn't be big enough to have its own weather system. Then he saw the lightning. Malissant gathered Malice for use in his next fight. The little yellow rat hat been a pushover, but who could say how the next match could turn out? Malissant had no fear, no mercy, and no friend. These attributes did not always serve him, but in a competition like this, they could only be helpful. He spotted the little mortal below him that was to be his next opponent. With a sneer, he shot a shaft of Malice at him. Amalickiah dived off of the hill, as a bolt of glowing darkness smacked into where he had been standing, with a sound like a crashing wave, and a smell of hot tar. In the cloud above him, he began to hear the laughter of a tenor voice. "I'll shut him up!" muttered the Lamanite king, and as the cloud swung low to fire again, he launched himself into it and tackled a man that seemed to have been floating in the cloud. Malissant was taken off guard. "Stupid!" he growled between his teeth. He was used to having people run in terror. He was not used to having them tackle him out of his StormChariot. Growling, he drew his purple sword and bared his teeth. He would kill this one with his bare hands. Amalickiah circled the man. With a cry, he attacked, but Malissant sidestepped him easily and seized him by the back of the skull. His hands pulsed with the raw energy that he spat into the Lamanite king. Malisant smiled as Amalickiah howled in pain. It was only pain. Malissant was not actually wounding him. But even pain without a source could kill a man with madness. Amalickiah dropped his sword in agony, and fell to his knees. Malissant laughed. Amalickiah's fingers scrabbled in the dirt, and he found a rock. With the desperation of a dying man, he threw it at the head of the demon that held him down. The pain stopped. Amalickiah's eyes spun in their sockets, and he had a splitting headache. But he was alive. He looked over to find his opponent sprawled on the dirt, bleeding profusely from a cracked skull. Luck. It was sheer, mindless luck that he had struck the Shehap with enough force to actually kill him--No. He was still alive, breathing raggedly. Well, Amalickiah could fix that. He retrieved his sword and struck off the demon's head. He breathed a sigh of relief. Out of Malissant's neck came a grey fog. Hardly noticeable at first, but then it spread, and infected the very air around the dead man and his slayer. Amalickiah was too confused to run, until he didn't have the power to anymore. The fog surrounded him, entered him, and spoke to him. Not in words. But clearer than if someone had spoken, Amalickiah knew what the fog was. It was Malissant. Malissant's power could be his, the fog promised. Power beyond any he dreamed of holding over the Nephites. The power to destroy and to twist and manipulate. Power over death, over gravity, over his external form. And it could all be his. All he had to do was agree to it. All of this was communicated in the seconds after Malissant's death. And Amalickiah's answer took less time. Yes! He would take it all! He would become Malissant! No sooner thought, than it happened. The fog sucked itself into Amalickiah's body with a rapidity that both frightened and exhilarated him. He breathed deeply, and he felt it. Oh, The Power! The absolute Power! His heart hammered in his throat at the thrill of it all. "Ah!" Said a voice that seemed to be behind him. "That was just what I needed." Amalickiah tried to turn to look behind him, but instead his hands came up in front of his face, and flexed. With a start, he realized that the voice he had heard was his own. "Just what I needed!" His voice continued. "A new avatar! Stronger, more malignant! It's like a breath of fresh air!" Amalickiah felt his body sigh in pleasure, but his own thoughts were closer to outright panic. What have I done! Amalickiah screamed in silence. He would have begun hyperventilating, if his mind had still had any control over his body. Instead, he sighed contentedly, and gathered More Malice for his next opponent. Winner: Depends on how you look at it. (Malissant) Match 2 � Brian Ailshie Alien vs. Stilgar Stilgar held the staff he had taken from his past opponent in one hand as he glanced around the corner. After searching for a few hours, he had left the little village in the cave to search the deeper catacombs for this 'Alien.' He had heard several screams come from some where around here and came to check it out. Suddenly a pale skinned man ran up to him and grabbed at the Crysknife at Stilgar's hip. "P-pp-ppleeease kill me!!" the man wimpered loudly. "What? Why would you want me to do that?" Stilgar asked, twisting his sacred knife away from the man's pawing fingers. "Ppp-ppleeease, there's no time! It is coming I can feel it!" The man squealed. Suddenly the man fell over backwards, spittle running from his mouth, muscles twitching and belly bulging. Stilgar watched in horror as the bulging protruded more and more, until, in a gush of blood and gore, a creature leaped outward. "MMMMAAUUUUDIIB!" In a flash of sonic power, the corpse and parasite exploded. The Alien looked up from the little being it was seeding as it heard the reverberating blast. So much for lunch, it was time to fight. Knocking the new host for it's child to the ground, the Alien leaped to the cavern ceiling and circled toward the entrance the sound had come from. A taller man in a brown cloak stood holding a little blaster. The remains of one of the Alien's children was splattered on the ground around him. Snack time. Stilgar wasn't sure what that had been that had come from the man's gut but the screams were starting to make sense. Something was attacking these people. Suddenly three creatures with knobby legs and a long head full of teeth came charging around the little clay hut ahead of him. Readying his gun again, he gave three quick blasts that obliterated the creatures. Unfortunately, with his attention drawn to the smaller creatures, Stilgar never saw the adult Alien drop down behind him and thrust it's talons into his back. A quick bite later and Stilgar's neck ended a little shorter than before. Winner: Alien Match 3 � RJ Harris Magneto vs. Chewbacca The mutant was walking around in a daze as another night began in the caverns. Magneto was certainly in no condition to fight, but a fight was exactly what he had to do. He was to face a Wookie--whatever that was--named Chewbacca. He thought hard to himself "What am I to do?" Chewie looked around the caverns; his pistol hung at his side. He enjoyed the evenings and nights, for they reminded him of space. As the Wookie walked among the eerie caves, he heard a voice talking. As he rounded a corner, he saw a man dressed in some reddish-purple costume, mumbling to himself. "This had to be the one!," Chewie thought--although, when he spoke it audibly a few moments later to get Magneto's attention it came out as a growl. "ARRuAhh!" Magneto spun around in a freight. He took one look at the enormous mass of fur in front of him, screamed, and began to throw rocks at the Wookie. A few bounced off of Chewbacca, doing nothing except aggravating the creature. Finally Chewie had had enough. Magneto began running through the caves to find more rocks to throw at Chewie. The final rock he threw contained large deposits of ore. Due to Magneto's amnesia, he didn't realize that it was his mutant powers that sent the rock hurtling to the Wookie with such great speed. Luckily, Chewie dodged the rock, but instead of hitting him, it hit the wall. The small cavern they were in began to collapse. As the cave collapsed around Magneto, Chewbacca managed to dive out of the cave in to more of the caverns. In the process, Chewie hurt his right paw. When Chewie got to his feet, he waited to see the dust clear and confirm that his foe was dead. It was a gruesome site--even for a Wookie. Winner: Chewbacca, the Wookie Match 4 � Aaron Bartholomew Eliminster vs. Capt. Hook Deep within the dark Shontung Caverns, Captain Hook strode, carrying the Wand he had taken from Fin Razel. He only had the thought of his enemy in mind. A thin elderly man, he too would fall before the Hook. Elminster was determined to rid the Planes of the menace known as Malissant once and for all. He couldn't allow himself to be defeated before then. First blurring himself, he then cast a minor spell that allowed him to locate the man he must fight to get through to Malissant. Floating, he headed in that direction. As he approached the one-handed man, he felt the surge of magic. Something on that hook-fisted man was magical! Concentrating further, he discerned that it was the wand that Hook concealed under his cape. Elminster cast several quick spells, the air flaring around him as power surged. Hook saw the faint blur of a man floating towards him, and then his world exploded around him. Lightning and a freezing cold warred within him, as all went black. Walking to the ruined remains of Captain Hook, Elminster removed the wand he had sensed. He felt its powerful magic, and knew he had found an aid in his quest to cleanse the magic (blessed gift of the Lady Mystra) from the taint of Malice. Winner: Eliminster ROUND 3 Match 1 � Brian Ailshie Malissant vs. Alien Malissant stalked down the corridor. His minions had told him about the strange infestation occurring in the village at the far end. Some new creature was making off with any of the locals that got caught alone. Well, he would see to the end of this nuisance. Any creature that could only take out these pitiful locals one at a time was really no threat to the great Lord of Cruelty. A few moments later Malissant reached the village only to see that this entrance was sealed off by some kind of translucent material. It looked like slime, but solid. No matter, his magic made quick work of it. Stepping through, Malissant realized that his minions had not got the full story to him. This village was entirely decimated. The slime, in liquid and solid stages, covered most every surface in the great cavern. Malissant could see no signs of movement or life. But this had to be the place to find his next opponent. Malissant's patience was beginning to run thin. He had searched now for at least two hours and hadn't yet been approached by his enemy. Then, as he rounded another corner, something leaped out at him. Or more accurately, some things. The first two burst into flame as Malissant spat fire from his fingertips, and the next two writhed on the ground an instant later, the acid he had hurled from his other hand, eating at their carcasses. However the fifth creature got through, at least for an instant. It latched onto his face. Ignoring the pain in his face and throat, he ripped it loose. In one motion, Malissant flung it against a wall and it splattered like a bag of soggy oatmeal. Malissant looked, up and saw what had to be his opponent. It looked much like the first attackers, but much larger. Also its head was longer, showing a mouth full of teeth. Snarling it leaped at him. However, hurt as he was, Malissant was still fast enough. A flick of his wrist and a surge of electric energy fried through the creature. "All to easy," Malissant thought to himself. Amalickiah rejoiced! What had at first seemed like a great thing, had quickly gone bad. He didn't like having no control over his own actions. But soon it would end. He could feel the creature growing in his gut. Somehow he knew it would free him, eventually. Winner: Malissant (with Alien parasite) Match 2 � Robert Newell Eliminster vs. Chewbacca Elminster had divined Chewbacca's location a long time ago. His special invisible wizard's eye was stalking the Wookie without his knowledge. Elminster knew much of the honorable Chewbacca from his powerful divination spell. The Wookie was honorable. He was a powerful fighter and a good person. He was intensely loyal... but he could not hope to defeat Malissant. For all of his prowess, the dark shehap would rend him limb from limb with no problem. Eliminster did not know for a fact that he would be able to defeat Malissant, but at least he knew that he would have a chance. He prepared himself for the coming slaughter. Chewbacca knew he was close. He could smell his opponent. He cocked his bowcaster and turned a corner. A huge, disembodied hand picked Chewie up and held him tightly. Elminster walked out of the shadows and cast a quick spell of understanding. He sent to Chewbacca the knowledge of the outlook of the tournament. Chewie now knew how outmatched he would be if he somehow won this fight. Chewie knew that he was about to die, but he felt at peace, a great evil would be next to fall. Elminster closed his fist entirely, and Chewbacca was crushed to death. It was virtually instantaneous. Elminster was not finished though. He cast two more spells. The first opened a portal to the Realms. It was to a predetermined spot that his next spell would affect. Through the portal lay a large egg. His final spell bent the very powers of death. Chewbacca, in the form of a hatchling gold dragon emerged from the egg. Elminster had reincarnated him into a much more powerful form. Chewie walked through the portal to Elminster's side. The judges were impressed with this bending of the rules. Chewbacca had been killed, but no rule said that combatants had to stay dead. Death, after all, is not a career-ending injury in fantasy. Malissant surely could not expect this. Winner: Elminster and his friend Chewbacca the gold dragon hatchling **JUDGES NOTE: Chewbacca, as a gold dragon, is now a 'bystander' and just as any other audience member he can fight and possibly help someone, but he can not kill a living contestant.*** ROUND 4 Match � Mark Ailshie Malissant vs. Eliminster Malissant stared grimly across the long flat underground plain at his new enemy. Eliminster gripped his staff and gritted his teeth. "Now it ends, dark shehap. You cannot stand before me." Malissant sneered. "I defeated you before when you had a half-dozen more helping you. What hope can you imagine to have against me now that we are alone in my own home?" A roar from the north answered Malissant as Chewbacca charged across the plain toward them. Malissant stared, and at that moment Eliminster struck. A flurry of meteors flew at the dark shehap, but he leaped into the air and rode it away from the blast site. "An interesting weapon you have brought along!" There followed a mighty volley of spells and fury from the two arcane masters. Eliminster had learned from defeat, like any good mage. But Malissant had also grown in power. Chewbacca looked for some way to tilt the balance, but could find none. He was still a young dragon, and hadn't mastered any spells or the power of flight. He had claws, but his wookie honor still forbade him from using them in combat (Note: Wookies do have claws, but won't use them for battle). But he did have teeth and flaming breath. With a roar, he sprang at Malissant. The Dark Shehap sidestepped effortlessly, and put the dragon's bulk between him and his true foe. "Every weapon can be used against its wielder," he said to himself. "Isn't that right, Amalickiah?" Amalickiah was forced to agree. Malissant shot a black cone of Spite at Chewbacca's eyes. The wookie-dragon was blinded! In a rage, he started biting and breathing all around, in an effort to destroy the Dark Shehap. Eliminster took to the air to avoid the rampaging beast. A blast of dark fire singed his robe as he flew away. Malissant clucked his tongue. "I would have thought better of you, old man." So saying, Malissant leaped onto the Dragon's neck, clamped both hands around the back of its skull, and started to drain its essence. Chewbacca howled in pain and thrashed around wildly, but only Amalickiah felt the pain, and Malissant promptly ignored it. Eliminster hesitated. He hated to kill a being that had trusted him, but to stop Malissant, he was willing to make the sacrifice. He raised his hands, and a chaos storm began growing around Chewbacca. The bolts hurt the great beast, and he wailed in pain even more. Malissant smiled. This would only help him. He had already drained Chewbacca close to his basic survival instincts. And now he leaned his head over to the great dragon's ear. "Do you want to live forever?" he whispered. Eliminster increased the Chaos storm. The red and blue bolts flew hot and strong. No human body could have hoped to survive them. But still he raised their destructive potential. The last time they had met, Malissant had taken his most potent spells and lived through them. Suddenly, the gleaming form of a Gold Dragon soared over the Chaos storm. Eliminster was so surprised that he dropped his concentration and the chaos storm winked out. The dragon landed not far away. "Chewbacca! How did you learn to fly?" The dragon tilted it's head and barked a blast of fire in his direction. Eliminster barely evaded it. "Any weapon," said the dragon. "Can be turned against its bearer, and any force can overwhelm its creator." "You! B-but how can you take a non-human form?" "I'm not human, you fool! If I had my own body, I could take any form I wished." Malissant belched another fireball at the wizard. Eliminster gathered his powers and parried with a spell. But even Elminster could not long hold out against a dark Shehap in a Gold Dragon's body. Eventually, Eliminster concentrated a bit too hard on his spells and didn't watch Malissant's new tail. The force broke his neck even before it pinned him against the wall of the cavern. The roof shook, and stalactites fell to the ground. Malissant laughed as he roasted him for good measure. Winner: Malissant Dragon . . . The judges' decision is that since Malissant killed Eliminster he does not advance. Also, since Eliminster destroyed Amalickiah's body which was hosting Malissant, it does not advance. However, since the dragon body that Malissant jumped into is not a contestant, Malissant is no longer a contestant either. After Malissant thrashes a judge in rage, the decision still stands as a ***BYE*** Winner of Bracket M: BYE! Group N takes a Bye in the Finals |