[DUEL] Ybbon vs. Anduril248 - WINNER ANNOUNCED!

**Shankbot de Bodemloze** · February 15, 2013, 11:48 AM

Image courtesy of Radboud

Every once in while you have a might clash between two titans, two mammoths of writing, of history.

An unstoppable force and an unmovable object collied, but how can the outcome be set in stone?

It can't, and it well never be - so vote now for your winner, your champion, your hero and
pray the sun rise will on the morrow, for when storms rage and lighting strikes only one can triumph...

Ybbon vs. Anduril248

Inspiration

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Submission 1

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

The Hunter and the King

Dawn approached over the valley in the mountains, the freshly fallen snow covering the valley and the ridge tops. A hunter moves quietly through the snow hoping to find some game, so he descends into the valley. The descent from the ridge is steep and perilous but simple and precise motions make the descent easier for the hunter. Yet he had begun to trespass upon the king’s territory, the king was not simply a monarch, but a true hunter, a beast, one that was superior in every respect. Yet the hunter for all his experience did not notice the king following him. Continuing deeper into the valley the hunter had a stroke of luck unheard of in the depth of winter a wild herd of water buffalo wandering through valley floor. The excitement coursing through his body, it took a lot of strength to restrain himself.
He had decided to stalk the herd, so watching every step, silently he moved through to the valley floor, hiding for a moment. The king of the valley watched this hunter with great amusement stalking the hunter with even greater efficiency. The hunter noticed the utter quiet in the forest and shook off this growing sense of unease. He must continue the hunt or the village could suffer. He continued to track the trail of the Herd. The tracks had led him for a few more hours where he finally caught sight of the herd. Slowly he examined the herd and he had picked his mark. The hunter had to move precisely to get in range, so he readied his bow, an arrow ready to be drawn and let loose to strike the strongest of the herd. Yet he finally got close enough to strike his foot slipped as a foothold fell apart both the arrow and the rocks fell to the ground alerting the herd to his presence. Yet they did not move, it was a stroke of luck as the Hunter reached his perch he saw the herd with a close enough view to pick a target.
The hunter silently drew his bow back aiming ever so carefully, slowly regulated his breathing and sharpening his focus. With a twang the bow propelled the first projectile into the sky. The arrow sung as it tore through the air and impacting the leader of the herd in the leg. Yet with a twang another arrow flew through the air impacting the same buffalo in the chest sending the herd in panic a third shot unleashed with a twang hit the target in the neck. And the beast collapsed no longer able to continue with the herd. The Hunter rejoiced at his success. He climbed down from his perch grabbing the arrow he had dropped earlier. Yet for his success the uneasy feeling returned to the hunter who quickly scanned the area to no avail. He then he moved quickly no longer caring about hiding his presence to take care of the buffalo that he had slain. It was well past mid-day and the land though frozen had an eerie silence to them.
As the hunter finished with the buffalo, the king had made his presence known like a ghost he showed himself. As quickly as the king appeared he had vanished into the wilderness, ever taunting of his superiority as he was a true predator. The hunter pulls the last arrow from his quiver and draws it back ready to unleash at moment. He surveys the area to find nothing he begins to step away from the point where he thought he had seen a beast. As the hunter began panic at the sight far more terrifying fading in and out of the wilderness. The King sensing the fear of his opponent moves closer letting the prey hear his soft steps from behind. As the hunter spins around the King had once again faded back into the wilderness.
The hunter moves slowly into the forests seeking refuge from the king but like a true king knows the lay of the land, without care of his traces he fled. The king enjoying himself decided to wound his prey, as a ghost he approached from the hunter’s blind spot, his claws rending cloth and flesh with ease the hunter screamed in agony, the king once again faded into the forest. Picking himself up the hunter checked his wound it was deep, but not deep enough to be fatal still blood flowed from the wound. The hunter, no longer reasoning picked up his pace running as fast as he could. Yet the King still stalked behind him ever ready to end this game. Ever closer to the forests edge light began to fade.
At twilight’s edge the hunter thought he had found some reprieve from the vicious king. This time the king’s claws slashed the hunter’s leg. The hunter bit his lip to hold the cry of agony from escaping his lips. The pace had slowed considerably almost to a crawl. The hunter seeing the edge of the forest thinking he would have reprieve. He turned to see at a close distance the king in his glory. His cold eyes enjoying the game he was playing. The hunter shivered in fear as he crawled through the snow. The King simply stepped on the hunter’s leg. The hunter began to scream uncontrollably. The king then slipped his fangs into the hunter’s neck and with a snap the screams were silenced, yet the echo remained only for a moment.

Submission 2

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Predators.

Jordan stepped through the snow towards the edge of the escarpment and looked around, breathing in the frigid air he felt it freeze the inside of his nose bringing tears to his eyes. “Man, that makes you feel alive!” he turned to his companions and beat his gloved hands together, stamping down in the snow hearing it make that squeaking crunch so distinct of deep crisp snow, a smile crept across his face as he looked at each in turn.

“Yeah, a little too alive, what have you done?” Pete was ever the suspicious one, a dealer in oil reserves and not hedge funds like the rest so they considered him straight-laced, not a real risk taker like themselves, “This is supposed to be a virtual sim and we paid enough damned money for it so I expect as near as reality sim, but not so damn good I can feel snow melting down my neck.” Pete turned to look at the other two in their hunting party for validation, “well? Are you two in on this?” Johnson looked sheepish confirming his guilt but the look on Wilfred’s face was either a good act or he too knew nothing of this switch.

“Aw, come on Pete, OK so this is not the sim and we really are on Centauri 5, but hey we’ve played the sim so many times without a problem it was getting boring. We needed a little spice in our lives to sharpen us up so I just arranged for use to come here where the sim is really based – just think, we’ll make a real killing in the markets when we feel the adrenaline pumping after this trip. We will be predators not sim-killers like now. You know that ass hole of a boss goes on about ‘real kills’ – well we will have them after this”, He gave them ‘the look’ the one with that eager to please grin he had so much success getting deals out of older clients, the little boy lost look that hid an avaricious streak that made him want to part them from every credit in their retirement funds without a single guilty thought about the consequences, the lives left much poorer after he took every credit he could wring out of them.

Pete wanted to stay mad at him but he knew what Jordan said made sense, they had played the sim for Centauri 5 so many times, the challenge of playing for real gave him a visceral thrill, hell, they had played so many times for so many credits they’d probably funded the last 3 upgrades to the sim alone. “Well we are here now, so same aim as the sim? We get seven nights out here on our wits anything is fair game and we have to get back here on the eighth day?” Jordan gave a loud whoop, “I knew you’d go for it Pete, you may be a boring guy at work but there is the heart of a hedgie in there somewhere! The guy who sold it said same rules apply except we get to eat what we kill for real and any other predators out there are real too – oh and no fancy proximity alarms or weapons add-ons – so no pulling out that fancy piece of yours Johnson and blasting everything to pieces. One rifle each with 50 rounds, and a side-arm and hunting knife – oh yeah and fourteen nights, back here on the fifteenth. That is it.”

Wilfred and Johnson looked at Jordan with what looked disturbing like hero-worship to Pete “well when you three stop admiring your own brilliance, we need to get a move on if we’re going to make tonight’s camp.” Pete picked up one of the knife belts and put it round his waist, he pulled out the side-arm and checked the slider action, unclipped the magazine and made sure he had a round in the chamber and safety catch on, made sure his knife slid out easily then secured it back in its sheathe finally hoisting a pack onto his shoulders and adjusting the straps so it sat snugly and it’s weight was evenly across his back. “Right then, ready to move?”

They might act like big kids at time but all four of them knew how to get their gear strapped on and ready efficiently enough when needed. Jordan set off first pushing off down the slope on his skis, schussing into an easy gliding rhythm. The other three pushed off in his tracks, their experience in the sim was proving invaluable, experience that had taught them that staying in one set of tracks used least energy and made the quickest time.

As they moved away from the portal two other figures appeared in the doorway. “How long will you give them?” the first asked. “Oh a day should be plenty and then I will release the cats and bears.” The first grunted, “How good are this lot? They’ve been in the sim enough times.” The second turned to his companion, “good, but not good enough, the smart money is on Jordan to last longest, but I reckon that Pete will go furthest, and may last until the second week.” They both turned to watch the friends, now just small figures in the distance. The second turned back towards the door, “how much do you suppose their boss paid for this show?” The first followed him, “millions my friend, but then Jordan should have been more careful whose trust funds he raided - not smart to have robbed poor old Granny.” Their laughter echoed back as they walked back through the portal and it sealed up against the weather.