Gozan enters the arena, and decides to challenge someone. He says:

"I will battle anyone that meets these conditions:

1. No product more expensive than 150gp.
2. Has 7 purchases or less

Any challengers?

The looser pays, with admin's permission, 50gp."

Then he enters battle position, and awaits a challenger.

"I am ready NOW!"

Challenge accepted. The loser will give fifty gold to the winner. If you agree, we will each have five posts and no more to determine the victor. If necessary, the post will be linked to a poll and the community will decide who deserves the prize.

I have only a starting sword and no additional purchases.

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A hazy image watched as a man stood amongst empty bleachers, staring at the entrance hall and calling for a challenge. The Watcher grew a smile on his face and moved his hand forward, feeling the invisible veil between the ethereal plane and the material plane. Within moments, he stood in full view in his ethereal form. Standing straight and resting his greatsword on his right shoulder, gripping the pommel of the hilt with his right hand, he matched the man's stare. His figure stepped forward, almost floating on the ground, but something was different. A rippled line formed across his body as he drew closer to his opponent. The Watcher had broken the rift between ethereal and physical, and was now one with the world that he had observed for most of time. The Watcher's sword gleamed in the daylight; it had not lost much luster in the transition. He grinned as his voice flooded forth.

I accept your terms. Prepare yourself.

Gozan steps forward...

"I am Gozan. Prepare yourself for a difficult challenge. This is a practice match with a dangerous wager. The audience will decide who wins..."

Gozan draws his newly acquired sword, and begins to prepare himself.

As soon as the battle started, he casted his rainfall power on his opponent, doing am impressive amount of damage on him...

Next, He ran foreward, leaped up then attempted to lash his sword into his opponent's head...

The Watcher's brow folded in to sign his confusion as the sky darkened and began to drop down small parcels of water. He had never felt anything remotely like rain, so it was more a pause of curiosity than anything else. He had always seen the inhabitants of Imythess flee from an oncoming storm, and he decided it was primarily to avoid the curious feeling of wet clothing. He appreciated the barely audible symphony of metallic glints that vibrated into his ear as fatter raindrops pattered against his blade. He wondered if the fight he had agreed to would remain as innocent as it had begun, but he was disillusioned as Gozan jumped forward. The Watcher questioned why only the least skilled combatants chose to take to the sky on their first attack, but the question was rhetorical. He was quite capable of proving the answer in his next move.

The ornate creature, a term specifically used for the Watcher only because there was little else that an ethereal creature could be, twisted his wrist and allowed the momentum of the greatsword's weight carry it through a circular arch. The long blade moved just past vertical in time to catch Gozan's incoming blade across the center basket guard. The distinct sound of scraping metal was heard as the attack was halted in mid strike.

Using the slight curve of the basket hold, the Watcher continued to use the momentum of the blow and the deflection to carry Gozan's sword and swordarm across his body. Twisting at his waist, the two figures were momentarily facing at an arbitrary location to their side, both weapons pointed toward the wall. Snapping his body back into a straight position, he used both of his hands to bring the hilt of his greatsword inward at an amazing rate, hoping to land a blunt strike directly into Gozan's ribcage. Should he be successful, he was fairly certain Gozan would be unable to breathe. Should Gozan somehow manage to evade and counterattack, the Watcher was markedly sure that he could avoid any possible damage from the retaliation.

[unnaproved combat lore as yet...] Gozan anticipated that he would try to make a blow to the chest with his next attack... and laughed...

Quicly vearing to 1 side, he decided to pull another trick he knew...

"Hay, no fret. Good defense. Also, that was no normal storm. It was MY doing..."

impressed he knew how to retaliate that attack... gozan tried the most optimal trick he could have mustered in the situation:

Gozan executes a standard spinning attack (not the feat) on his opponent... and sees if he can dodge that...

The Watcher allowed his sword to drop down in a clockwise arch, keeping a rotating hold on the hilt so that it halted with tip pointed straight into the heart of the earth. He wedged the tip of the blade into the moderately solid ground and heard yet another loud clack of metallic distaste as Gozan's sword glanced off of the ornate greatsword's defense. The Watcher gave a cool stare that almost seemed to reach past Gozan's eyes and into his mind. He simply could not believe that a man willing to put so much money up in a fight was performing such basic combat maneuvers.

With an idle glance, he noticed that a small crowd had been gathering to watch the duel. He could not make out the comments at the moment, but most seemed to be enjoying themself regardless. He returned his attention to his opponent after only an instant and replied to the man's boast.

I believe birds can have the same effect in this open arena.

The Watcher flicked his heavy blade forward, a small clout of dirt launched at Gozan's clothing. He stepped forward with his right leg and threw his weight into the lunge, sending the sharp tip of the greatsword directly toward Gozan's torso. The target was to be directly below his rib cage; softer than the bony ribs above for more penetration, but just as lethal. The Watcher did not survive in the ethereal plane by incapacitation alone.

(Of note: this person is from another reality far away... not a nexian, but you don't want to take this guy lightly....)

Gozan took it up a notch... remembering an old video game or 2 came in really handy with this situation... Gozan leaped away, and retreated behind a pillar...

Then he casted another rain magic on his opponent, and anticipated he would probably try a flanking trick...

Remembering the dash trick, he positioned him and his improved sword just in the right angle to maximize damage in this situation... watching the watcher's every move in that matter...

But exhaustion was setting in... And the opponent noticed that...

(OOC: I am more than impressed that not only are there video games, but old video games as well. Bet those blacksmiths were really impressed after making the iron box and plugging it into a tree. I believe the most popular game that year was "poke the weird box attached to a tree with your sword.")

The Watcher sighed in his echo-strewn voice as his opponent fled from combat. He had never seen someone act so foolishly on a battlefield. He recalled the last great war that Imythess had been thrown into and shook his head. With heroes like this, the land would be doomed if it were to fall into a struggle again. The rain fell harder and he enjoyed the soft pattering once more. He really did not mind being wet since the feeling was still so new to him. He reached down and ran his fingers through the ground, feeling the cold, moist dirt that clung to his skin. He grabbed a handful of the muddy substance and moved around in a wide arch to get a view of the cowering Gozan.

I believe the arena is out here. Perhaps you should join me so that we may continue. I can assure you that these onlookers are not enjoying this spectacle. Perhaps you are afraid of getting wet?

The Watcher balled the clump of mud in his hand and hurled it at Gozan, only in the interest of dirtying him.

If you do not like this rain, then perhaps you should stop calling to the birds above.

He returned his greatsword to his right shoulder and awaited his opponent's return to the field of combat. He really did enjoy the sound of the water across the vibrating steel of his weapon. While he was entertained, he started to hear shouts of anger from the stands. He supposed that those accustomed to the foul weather found it less interesting than himself.

(OOC: Assuming your first post counts as your first RP post for this challenge, which it does, your reply will be your last. When I respond to that, a poll will be opened to see who was the victor. Make it count.)

(of note: the rain actually DAMAGES opponents... also, this battle is still in progress... he is just repositioning himself)

Seeing that the coward tactic worked, he laughed...

"Sometimes the simplest moves work the best... now you will find it near-impossible to damage me, but I can easily call up storms on you..."

Quickly leashing the rope to the pillar, he climbs up the pillar... and becomes a cheap-ass opponent... then quickly retracts the rope...

While atop the pillar... he starts calling up the storm again... and anticipates his rage...

"Only the strength of a TITAN can bring down this pillar, according to my studies..."

(OOC: As soon as I start commanding an army of flying monkeys, we'll talk about rain doing damage... I will open the poll to decide the winner at the conclusion of this post.)

The Watcher shook his head in disdain as his opponent made an absolute buffoon of himself climbing the pillar. He slipped and tumbled so many times that the Watcher was almost sure he would manage to hang himself before reaching the top of the beam. His greatsword was outstretched, forming a downward diagonal line from his shoulder to the ground at his side. The blade faced the heavens, preventing most water from striking the metal. If it did, it was sliced in two before managing to make any of the beautiful sounds that the Watcher was growing to enjoy. With a careful eye, he judged the strength of the column and any support it might have been giving to the surrounding arena. Since Gozan could reach the top of it, it was not firmly planted into anything important near the roof. He had considered the idea of trying to topple the column, but he was quite sure that the audience would swarm and kill him themselves due to his terrible performance.

Perhaps next time you will consider leaving a note within the entrance hall telling everyone that there is no reason to waste time watching a one-sided battle. Though, I am quite sure that you have taught a few of the younger children here what not to do in a duel, so perhaps some parents will be thankful.

The Watcher proceeded to swing his blade in an intricate pattern of spirals and circles, using the graceful style of greatsword etiquette to perform a continuous and impressive training excercise. The blade glimmered and seemed to take on a loud humming sound from the falling rain as it cut so easily through the moist air. Several cooing awes echoed from the audience as a few of the members gained interest in the solitary performance. The Watcher had apparently earned his gold without much work, so the least he could do was showcase for the groups in the stands. There was little else to do while Gozan returned to ground level. He wondered if the terrified fighter would use the rope or simply jump into the mud he seemed so afraid of.

When you are not busy, you might as well make your way back down so that we can conclude our wager.

"Alas, I am a poor combatant. Barely even a newbie. And I didn't say the terms of this battle. I blatently just made a wager, hoped to learn... and such. I really could use some training, really."

"Even in this cowardice situation, I am still pelting you with rain... probably the only thing going for me..."

"ok. begin the poll. but my strategy was that of avarice and pelting..."

"And thanks for the lessons you gave involving swordplay."

Gozan brushed himself, and climbed down the rope...

"Perhaps one day, the gods will accept the lores, albeit though like other moves, they are superior and rarer. Alas, I've been cursed from birth... and farewell..."

Gozan leaves the arena, and awaits the judges decision...

Demus, a regular at the arena, being that he is an arena fighter...stood in awe of what he had just seen.He pushed the laughter that was bursting from him down and held it in.He then walked into the arena and watched as the man attempted to flee...he pulled his demon blade, and recalling a move from a game called tiger woods 2k4, used the sword like a sandwedge, and flung mud at the fleeing opponant of the other.The man was covered in mud, Demus then could no longer hold his laughter. As he laughed..he wondered what the heck tiger woods 2k4 was...and then recalled it was the hottest new title from "metal box & oak inc." He solumnly swore to re-attatch his iron box to the oak near his home the next time he returned...it had been far too long since he had used it.