[X] Plan Entrapment
[X] You won't use your family's power. You promised yourself that, and if you can't keep a promise made to yourself, what promises can you keep?
-[X] Ruby is a superior close range combatant, and will likely counter or dodge any spells you send at her from a more distant range. Your only real choice is to trick her, to make her think she's won - and turn the tables on her.
[X] As rapidly as you can - summon bits of rock, and bits of ice. Of the size you can throw with one hand, and which will hurt.
-[X] Keep moving, and keep your distance from Ruby while tossing rocks and ice at her. Litter the ground with rocks.
-[X] Summon them around the place so you can pick up rocks while on the move.
-[X] Toss in the occasional fireball or use a wind spell to accelerate a rock occasionally to put some pressure on her.
[X] When you begin to tire; or most of the ground is uneven because of ice and rocks; or Ruby has nearly pinned you down...
-[X] Prepare a fire spell - you're going to hold this while retreating.
-[X] Melt some of the ice to make the rock slippery. Try to position yourself in an area with lots of rocks.
-[X] When Ruby gets in close, try to loosen her footing by moving the rocks under her feet.
-[X] When she attacks you, grab her and set her on fire. Keep ahold of her unless she yields.
No. A promise is nothing if you don't keep it. You won't use your family's power. Even if it means defeat is almost certain... Well, you'll never know unless you try.
Confidence always. Surety always. No doubt. No fear.
You stand at ease as you wait for the signal to start to be given. The archmage is saying something to the crowd but you aren't listening. You only have eyes for your opponent, still looking off at the Dragon. Finally, finally, she looks back to you. There's a fire in her eyes, a will you will do your best to match. You'll have to stay away from her. You have no doubt that if she gets her hands on you the fight will be over, and your magic will not be fully reliable against her focus on countermagic.
A countdown is being started, she's dropping into some kind of stance. You eye the distance between you. 25 meters suddenly feels incredibly close.
"Fight!"
The word is given, and even as you start casting Ruby uncoils like a spring. You didn't expect her to just come lunging at you like that. You'll work with what you're given. It might not fit your image, but if you don't put your all into winning, what was the point? You turn tail and run.
Even as you do, your spells progress ever further to completion. Rock and ice, three spells cast at the same time. Even with your fleeing, she's right behind you as the five seconds of casting finishes, and you dive forward to just barely escape her fist. Your magic starts to coalesce into physical form, but even as it should be completing one of the spells to summon rock unravels entirely, magic dispersing into the air in a harmless prismatic glow, and the one to summon ice destabilizes and becomes mere cold water.
The final spell however, completes without a hitch. Textbook perfect you would call it as a veritable cloud of rock spews forth from the sand between you and Ruby. Too late to abort her lunge entirely and not quite close enough to push through and get to you, Ruby instead pulls back her arms lightning quick to guard her face. For a moment you think you've actually managed to pull it off and win- a spray of rocks like that should lay anyone out, maybe even seriously injure them.
The noise Ruby makes as she leaps back out of range of the rest of the barrage of rocks isn't one of pain however. It's more a growl of frustration. You've taken your feet again now, already casting the next set of spells. Ruby doesn't lunge for you this time. Even as you back away you're examining her. Her arms should be seriously hurt after that. One of them looks maybe a bit scratched but... Nowhere near what they should be.
She settles into a new stance slowly and carefully. It's different then the one before, but you don't spare much attention to examining it as you work your magic. Again, two spells to summon rock, one spell to summon ice. One of the rock spells you aim to come up near her in an attempt to force her away, the other one and the ice you put between her and you. The spell aimed closest to her again unravels and colors the air around Ruby in a rainbow hue for a moment. The other two execute perfectly, a field of ice and rock now between the two of you. Ruby rolls her shoulders and begins a measured walk towards you through it. You're still backing away as you cast again. The same thing happens- the spell closest to Ruby disperses, the other two complete. As you go to weave your next spell however, you feel something very different.
It feels like you're pushing against some great weight trying to get magic to coalesce around Ruby. This time two of your spells fail, one unraveling entirely, another going so badly that it might as well have, what should have been ice becoming only the faintest of mists. This must be the dissipation field you had heard other students complaining about. You didn't know the exact range, but the distance between you was once more about 25 meters and the spell closest to you had worked.
Ruby didn't seem inclined to rush things, stepping lightly and keeping her guard up as she paces towards you. You adjust your plans to her changed tactics. This time you start all three spells next to you. None of them fail this time, and a spray of rock and ice propelled to deadly speed by an incredible gust of wind is launched towards her from outside the range of her dissipation field. She stops and settles herself as it rushes at her, before one arm glows in that rainbow of dispersed magic and shoots out in a blur of motion. The punch blows the rubble of rock and ice away.
...This was looking bad. You risk a glance behind you as you start casting again. The wall of the Colosseum was only about 30 meters back. You would have to figure something out before she cornered you.
How will you get out of this one?
[] Aggressively- You'll force her to change tactics and stop trying to corner you by making her focus on defending.
-[] Specifics?
[] Defensively- She's not just charging you for a reason. Even if she does corner you, she's going to have to accept a direct hit if she wants to actually get to you. You'll beat her in one blow.
-[] What's your finisher?
[] Write-in.
Any Banter?
[] Write-in.
A pretty solid plan. You guys underestimated how fast Ruby could cross 25 meters to get to you, but the ideas were solid. Had you just charged at her, even on fire, you would have gotten rekt pretty hard and had a choice between letting the Blackreach Guardian summon itself to save your ass or intentionally suppressing it. You may still get that choice depending on how things go of course.
