Acradius vs. Joker pt 2

The Vampire took hold of the extended hand coming from his opponent and shook it in honor. This fight though fierce and bloody would be done in an honorable fashion where cheapness would not be an issue. Joker could sense the strong tenure of nobility and strength venting off of the person in front of him. And as his vampiric eyes looked into those of his enemy he could see that this warrior would call on every fiber in his being to prevail over whatever odds the Dark Lord of Demos might lay against him. Joker released his hold from their handshake and using that very same hand fired off a vicious punch to Arcadiu’s chest before his own hand had even come to rest at his side. Joker’s fist was surrounded in a glow of energy as it smashed in to the warrior’s chest plate. The armor absorbed as much of the impact as possible but the force behind the blow was still strong enough to send Arcadius flying back right into one of the pillars where he slid down the column and was left slightly dazed. Joker’s hand stayed in its extended position while static beams of energy crackled around his arm. Finally the Vampire Lord opened his fist and reached behind his back to grab the handle to his weapon. He pulled forth the curved blade of his Vengeance Sword and let the sweet sound of its steel edges sing out in the air as he swung it from left to right. Small static electrical beams of energy crackled through out his entire body as if he was a walking charge of energy.

He raised a hand towards Arcadius who was already getting to his feet and sent an invisible force flying around the warrior’s neck. Acting instantly on the Vampire’s mental wishes the invisible force of energy applied a devastating amount of pressure to the warrior’s throat as it hoisted him up in to the air. Arcadius brought his hands to his neck desperately trying to free himself from what ever it was that was choking him half to death. Joker released the warrior from his mental grasp allowing him to fall freely to the floor. Quickly the Vampire Lord spun himself around in a circle swinging the searing tip of his blade with such speed that it quickly ignited the molecules of air around it as it cut across the falling warriors breast plate.

Arcadius rolled on the floor clutching the front portion of his armor as Joker stood a safe distance away waiting for a reply….

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Acradius was damn lucky. And stupid. He cursed the later for being so unprepared for a mental attack. Doing a quick self-inventory, he was relieved that there was nothing broken, and the sword hit at an odd angle. Something more was curious though. His breastplate was scratched. No force yet had been able to even put a pit in it, yet this man was so strong, he put a visible scratch in it. Psychic abilities, excelent swordsmanship, it's almost as if he were mocking me. Well, I'll bet he can't do this!

At birth, though he didn't know it until much later, Acradius Journeyman was given the ability to alter the flow of time for short periods. This had proven useful in inumerable ways, and it was about to do so yet again. He Time Boosted. It was the reason he never wore a watch. Time Boosting was his own personal technique that sped time up for him, but left everybody else in the dust as they moved in normal time. Acradius ran at his opponent, able to see the individual arcs of energy eminating from one point on Joker, and coursing to another, only to be absorbed yet again. Dashing at top speed, Acradius jumped just in front of the Vampire Lord. A metal-booted foot planted itself solidly in the back of the pale man's head. At speeds slower than the most high-tech movies, Joker went sailing forward as Acradius ended the boost.

Hitting the ground in a roll, Joker barely had a chance to get his Vengance Sword up before the straight, invincible longsword known as Quantum came down upon it, reverberating both blades with a note fit for symphonies. What followed next could only be described as a whirlwind of steel, sweat and blood. Both combatants expertly wielded their various weapons in a series of lunges, swings, parries, thrusts, and spins. Joker with Vengance. Acradius with Quantum. Joker with experiance. Acradius with innovation. It would have gone on like this for hours, both scoring negligible hits that evolved into open wounds by their moving around so much, had Acradius not thrust his off hand at his opponent instead of his sword. It was liable to be hacked off at the elbow if he didn't thrust the powers of his mind out with it. Joker went spinning backwards through the air, landing on the ground hard on his chest. The hilt and fist of the Time Warrior delivered a blistering backhand to the Vampire Lord's skull, with enough force to send red splattering across the floor. Joker rolled onto his back to see Acradius, sword drawn, floating thirty feet in the air. What's more, an unearthly white was eminating from his eyes.

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