Nine lucky Commenters have their work featured on this week's RPGP Winners page - send in your best Comments at the Arena, cross your fingers, and YOU could join them! Odd Eye vs Hrist DragoonJay@excite.com: Odd-Eye may not go up against the likes of Brahms in his game, but to his credit he squares off against twelve battle-hardened members of the Shining Force simultaneously. He has the physical advantage, nullifies the range problems so common among swordsmen, and can inflict sleep on Hrist if he's lucky. He wins a long but one-sided battle. Odd Eye: 144 Hrist: 105 ANONYMOUS Odd Eye, quite obviously, has Hrist outmatched. Simply put, the strength of Hrist in her one actual fight in her game of origin is pathetic. Odd eye is far faster, stronger, and generally; better. However, the Infamous "Tinkerbell" effect will no doubt come into play here. To review, the efeect is much like this: Tinkerbell exists only if people believe in her. People must reassure Tinkerbell they believe in her by clapping. Much in the same way, the audience will show far greater support for Hrist, as the audience always does when the character has a title like "God". Thus, Hrist's strength will increase to amounts that would crush all but the most well-known in her division, while Lord Odd Eye will have far less cheering for him going on, thus reducing his strength and speed to levels where he will move like a slug, and barely be able to harm Hrist. Poor Odd Eye will be splattered across the arena, and the side cheering for him will be left befuddled at this, thus resulting in much resentment and accusations toward the Hrist-cheerers. wyrmspirit@hotmail.com Hrist.. unforyunateky for her, is far outmatched.. every attack she makes will provoke an instant counter attack.. while in addition to the counter attacks, Odd Eye will get his own strike back at her.. i seriously doupt she will win here. NinjaFire2@aol.com Odd Eye and Hrist are evenly matched, but I'm willing to bet that the Odd Eye Beam will manage to wear her down just enough to grant the Demon General the win. CainofSolaris@aol.com If Odd Eye can go up against a god like Vulcanon and survive, I don't think Hrist will be a problem. Roger Bacon vs Deis MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org: Roger arrived in the arena fully prepared. He had arranged to have his entire occult library transported to his apartments in the RPGP facilities, and had spent days searching for ways to nullify Deis' many advantages. Fortune had smiled apon him, in the form of an ancient Wyndia mythological text describing the habits and personalities of the local pantheon. Two hours later, the victorious Roger departed the Arena without a blow being exchanged, without, indeed, Deis ever even showing up. Meanwhile, in Deis' extradimensional dwelling... "Say," Sabin asked, "aren't you missing your match with that Bacon fellow? He's the one who suggested I call you." Deis sighed languidly. "I should thank him. This was a lot more fun than that boring old competition." Roger Bacon: 121 Deis: 113 Melfice vs Orgodemir mrduran@acsu.buffalo.edu: At the center of arena the crowd saw a most unusual sight. Orgodemir and Melfice were staring each other down, as was to be expected, but what was very unexpected was what had been set up in the middle of the arena; two podiums, complete with microphone stands... and Kefka, grinning mischievously. "What's the meaning of this?" snarled Orgodemir. "Well," Kefka replied, "the established villains of the RPGP decided that since two of the top evils of this season were to face off today, that instead of the usual match we'd hold a debate in order to make sure that the winner would go into the next round fully rested, to best represent villains everywhere." "A debate?!?" shouted Melfice, infuriated. "This is an arena in which to spill blood, not to prattle back and forth amongst one another!" "That's right!" Orgodemir agreed. "I am the Demon Lord, not some politician!" "Then perhaps you two would like to bring up your problems with our panel of judges?" Kefka inquired, pointing to a corner. There at the table sat seven figures: Luca Blight, Dark Force, Fou-Lu, Zophar, Indalecio, Zeromus, and Lezard Valeth. Each one of them were starring menacingly at Melfice and Orgodemir. "Grrr. Very well; let's do this stupid debate." Orgodemir replied in a malice-laced voice. Both him and Melfice took a spot behind one of the podiums. "Okay, then let's begin!" Kefka's voice contained extraordinary amounts of insane glee, even for him. "First, we'll talk battle skills. Melfice, you start." Melfice: "Well, I am very fast, and I have a regenerator and a sword that work separately from me. I can devastate an entire area with Demon Horde Slash, and I also get great stat boosts from my regenerator." Kefka: "Would you say that your opponent is a loser, and that you could beat him up and steal his lunch money?" Melfice: "Absolutely Kefka." Orgodemir: "Why, I will kill both of you...!" Orgodemir was about to launch a MegaMagic, but seeing Indalecio and Dark Force start to get up, he changed his mind. Kefka: "Now, now Demon Lord, you can go next. Tell us a bit about your combat expertise." Orgodemir: "Well, first of all I have four forms, so I obviously have more staying power than this little horned punk. I also have the ability to take two to four turns per my opponent's one, so his sword and regenerator aren't going to help him that much here. Speaking of that regenerator, I also have the ability to nullify any status boosts my opponent may have, so he might as well throw the thing into a garbage can for all the good it will do him. Also, I have a limitless supply of Mega Magic, and I can also use Meditate to heal my wounds to a certain extent." Kefka: "That's great, I'm sure your mother would be proud. Next topic; what evil deeds have you done? Share with us why you think you should represent the villains of the RPGP! Melfice?" Melfice: "Well Kefka, being the Horn of Valmar I have done some pretty nasty stuff in my time. For instance, I slaughtered a bunch of people in my hometown, including my love interest. I have since wrought destruction across the face of my world, all in the name of my dark lord; I've even leveled entire towns!" Kefka: "Wow, impressive Melfice! You are one bad son of a submariner! And you, Orgodemir?" Orgodemir: "Uhhh... well, I am the Demon Lord... I sealed this pirate ship up in ice once. I sealed some lands away in darkness. I also pretended to be God, that was pretty cool." Kefka: "Maybe you misunderstand the topic... who have you killed?" Orgodemir: "Well... I'm not really sure.... I mean there really isn't an example of me in my game actually KILLING anyone..." Kefka: "You mean you're a Demon Lord, but you don't KILL people?" Orgodemir: "I'm sure my minions have killed people!" Kefka*shaking head*: "This is quite disappointing. Melfice, would you say that your opponent is a spineless, flower loving hippie?" Melfice: "Yes I would, Kefka." Orgodemir: "Why you...!" Kefka: "Now settle down there Orgodemir. Sure, I'd say you're a tree hugging seal scrubber, but that's for our judges to decide! Judges?" Luca: "Well Kefka, I think they're both pigs, but I have to go with Melfice." Dark Force: "MELFICE." Lezard: "It doesn't take perfect knowledge to understand that Melfice IS evil!" Zophar: "Melfice. Orgodemir gives us ultimate evils a bad name." Fou-Lu: "It doth seem that Melfice 'twas the logical choice." Indalecio: "Melfice; Orgodemir just doesn't seem to get what being a villain is all about." Zermous: "Melfice is clearly more capable, I wish I had possessed him instead of Golbez!" Kefka: "And there you have it folks, Melfice wins unanimously!" Melfice broke out in a grin; he could barely contain his glee. Meanwhile, Orgodemir was doing all that he could to contain his rage. And then... "Hey Demon Lord! It sure must be hard being such a wuss!" Melfice taunted in an uncharacteristic fashion. Getting right into Orgodemir's face, he decided to taunt him even more: "I beat you, I beat you, I beat yo.... ARRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!" Melfice's taunting was cut short as Orgodemir, transformed to his gigantic serpent-like state, had decided that Melfice would make a good snack. Before anyone knew what to do, Melfice was completely lost in the cavity of Orgodemir's mouth. Soon, all that was left of Melfice was his regenerator, which Orgodemir spit out of his mouth, into a nearby garbage can. "On second thought... maybe Orgodemir is a better choice than Melfice." Kefka stated, giving his classical maniacal laugh. The judges agreed. Melfice: 69 Orgodemir: 137 DragoonJay@excite.com Melfice rushed forward, sword in hand. There would be no time for stat uppers in this fight - not that they would have helped anyway. His only chance was to throw Orgodemir off his game. That plan backfired with the first blast of Madanty. Time and again Melfice attempted an assault, only to be pushed back. Weakened, it seemed like the wielder of the Horn of Valmar wouldn't even land a single blow. An opening in the blasts came, and Melfice used every last ounce of strength he had to take advantage of it. Impaling Orgodemir, he thrust the demon to the ground. Shaking with weakness, Melfice slumped to his knees - just in time to see Orgodemir's second form. One attack later, Melfice was no more. TheOblivionKnight@yahoo.com "I have to find some way to stop Orgodemir" Melfice said, browsing through Gamefaqs. He had been searching the whole week in an attempt to find a weakness he could exploit. "Aha!" he exclaimed, "this is it!" ----- The match began, and Orgodemir slithered into the arena. Melfice came in shortly thereafter, with his hand in his pocket. "What's that you got in your pockets?" Orgo hissed. "Oh...nothing but...THIS!" he screamed, pulling his hand out of his pocket. His hand was covered by a cloth puppet: Lambchop. "NO!!!! ARGH!!! HEAD...HURTING!!!" Orgo screamed as he fell onto the ground, holding his head in pain. "Yes, that's right" Melfice said, drawing his sword and walking closer towards the fallen Demon Lord. "Cower before me!" ----- Flashback... "But mommy! I don't like this show!" a young Orgodemir said. "You'll watch this right now and grow up to be a nice malformed monster!" an older, feminine Orgodemir hissed. "Lambchop is a wonderful educational show, and it's just a puppet." Flashback... "We had lamb to eat last night, and the night before that, and before that..." a slightly older Orgodemir said to his mother. "It's all we can afford, Orgo. Now, eat it!" the mother said. Flashback... "But...why...him? I thought you loved me?" an even older Orgodemir asked a human woman, who looked remarkably like Queen Zeal. "He's so soft and fuzzy. I like him." With that, she took the lamb in her arm, and walked away. Present... "Now," Melfice said, standing above Orgo, "time for me to win this." "No...must...stupid...LAMBS!!!" Orgo screamed that last word, letting out a huge, arena incinerating blast of Megamagic. Melfice was instantly fried, as was the puppet on his hand. Orgo got up afterwards, and stared at the carnage around him. Then he walked down to the female dressing room in triumph, presumably looking for Queen Zeal. Velhart vs Sephiroth DragoonJay@excite.com: Let's use a comparison here. Sephiroth is Coca-Cola. Liked by millions and detested by the same amount, there's no doubt that he's an icon. If Sephy is Coke, than Velhart is New Coke. Although they seem similar, one is vastly superior to the other. There's no contest - the original wins. Remember, you can't beat the real thing." Velhart: 86 Sephiroth: 164 braddamien@aol.com Sephiroth stands waiting in the Arena as Velhart arrives. "So," Velhart says, "ready to lose?" Sephiroth looked up at him... "Sin Harvest". Velhart gasped as he looked up and saw a halo appear above his head. With a thud, his lifeless body fell to the floor. Another win for Sephiroth. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Fortunately for Velhart, most of Sephiroth's best moves are Gravity-typed, and practically assured to give him a strong Omega Buster. Unfortunately for Velhart, Omega Buster can only strike targets next to him, and Sephiroth can fly. Wren vs Billy Lee Black NinjaFire2@aol.com: As is typical between massive man vs. machine contests such as this, the human nobly sacrifices himself to destroy the mechanical menace before him. While Wren isn't exactly sinister and Billy isn't exactly an action hero, it's more than likely that the organic gunman will manage to short-circuit the android warrior with a well-aimed shot, shortly before his own untimely demise. Wren: 112 Billy Lee Black: 137 wyrmspirit@hotmail.com Lets all give Billy an A for effort, but unfortunetely for him, standard bullets, and even shotgun rounds, wont do much to damage Wrens powerful high tech armor.. wren on the other hand will only require one Flare hit to vapourise Billy, or a Burstroc blast. Thing is, bieng a super high tech android, he has far more effective targeting than a human who is far too busy dodging blasts from Wrens cannon than to seriously aim.. Wren will undouptedly be sorry for the loss of human life.. CainofSolaris@aol.com Billy and Wren might have gone into this Matrix-style, and without a plot reraise Billy wouldn't stand a chance in the Neo role. Good thing Wren's an android and hence more likely to meet a Terminator fate, crushed to bits in some industrial plant. Rolf Landale vs Alec wyrmspirit@hotmail.com: Pitty Alec.. Rolfs fighting skills will far outmatch his, and thats even if Rolf descides to fight with his sword.. A single Megid is all that it will take to vapourise him.. all he has to hope is that theres anough left of him to cast Life2 on.. Rolf Landale: 142 Alec: 93 NinjaFire2@aol.com Alec will put up a good fight, but Megid is unfairly good. Case in point, the match goes to Rolf. Lucied vs Elc MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org: Elc continues to get better with each game he appears in, going from an already potentially Invincible youth following Arc into battle in AtL2 to an experienced God Hunter with the power to challenge the Dark One to one on one combat in AtL3. Lucied, on the other hand, went from a challenging part of a very tough boss team in WA1 to an average party member in WA2 to the weakest of the weak Guardian Lords in WA3. I'd say there's an obvious trend here... Lucied: 114 Elc: 135 Ashley Riot vs Vahn CainofSolaris@aol.com: Ashley can outcombo Vahn, and anyway, Vahn would be paralyzed by the sheer cool factor of Ashley's dialogue and trenchcoat. And doesn't Ashley have the power of the Dark? ie easy win over most any Heavy? Ashley Riot: 129 Vahn: 84 MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Vahn, knowing that this was probably his last chance to make an RPGP reputation, had made certain that he had all his Arts learned before going into battle. And while Ashley could indeed match him in combo length, Vahn's attacks did about five times as much damage per hit. Result: Riskbreaker casserole. Chisato Madison vs Rude tylorh@hotmail.com: Rude leaned against the arena wall as he waited for the Godlike and Heavy matches to end. Normally, he had no problem waiting for them to end, but this week he felt restless for some reason, and the wait was twice as long as usual when the week of the quarterfinals was reached. Not really feeling like talking, Rude instead opted to just walk around and see what all the other contenders were up to. There was Ashley, practising his chain combos on a handy dummy, Yang stretching, Hammer and Taloon comparing wares, and Chisato apparently working on a story on her laptop. He was about to move on, when he thought he noticed something, and headed closer to Chisato to verify it. Standing right behind Chisato, he knew he had been right, her laptop had been made by the folks he had always been sure to buy from ever since their brilliant ad campaign. And, unable to stop himself, he blurted out the catchphrase of that campaign, "Dude, you got a Dell!" Chisato, busy killing time by working on her next article, a call to arms against mindless, and annoying, capitalist propaganda in the form of commercials. A pet peeve of hers. Stuck on how to properly word a sentance, her train of thought was completely and utterly derailed when Rude quoted the highly irritating line. A few minutes later, Chisato was on her way home to restart the article, Rude out cold behind her, wearing the reminents of the Dell. Chisato Madison: 157 Rude: 112 taintedbiade@aol.com Chisato: Burning cards! Burning cards! Burning cards! Burning cards! Burning cards! Burning cards! (repeat a pointless and annoying amount of times) Reno: For the love of God.. SHUT UP ALREADY! (insert Electro-Mag Rod here) Sac@sachw.cjb.net As Chisato entered the arena, Rude noticed that she had a rather larger grin on her face. A grin too large for somebody about to engage in a serious life and death battle in the RPGP Arena. He also noticed that she was carrying a laptop computer, and was furiously typing away on it despite the fact that she was walking. "There!" exlaimed the Nedeian reporter. "It's finished! My next page one story: Rude of the Turks involved in illegal hair tonic and razor blade smuggling!" A small bubble containinga tear drop appeared above Rude?s head before he replied. "What...are you loopy? That...that's just stupid!" Rude exclaimed. Chistao scowled. "You?re just angry that I'm going to make you look like a fool once tomorrows inquisitor...Kiieeaahhh!" Chisato yelled in pain, as her laptoop suddenly caught fire. Throwing the burning cormputer from her, Chistao saw that Rude had one of his hands raised "You did that! Why you!....!" Chisato started off with a cry of "Burning cards!" sending a number of flaming cards hurling at Rude. However, the Turks member easily sidestepped them, quickly rushing forward. Chisato narrorwed her eyes, and waited. When Rude got close, she quickly whipped out her stun gun. Rude yelled in pain, but didn't stop coming. Afterall, his training had taught him to deal with pain MUCH more severe. "Special Attack! Whirlwind!" Chisato then yelled, pummling Rude with a combination of blows. As the Killer Move ended, Rude jumped backwards, rasing his hand. A feild of green light surrouded him as his Cure2 spell healed some of his wounds. "No matter how hard you try, it's useless!" Chisato taunted, though Rude seemed unfazed. Chistao then grinned, deciding that it would be in her best interests to end this fight quickly. "Unh 3-A?" She said quickly into a small communcator. "One missle pl...EEEK!" her order went unfinished, as Rude had jumped into the air, and slammed his fist into the ground, sending a Grand Spark right into her, quickly followed up with a normal punch attack. Chisato swayed slightly, then shook her head. "Ten Thousand.." she started, but once again, the slowness of her Killer Moves cost her, as Rude was able to easily get in another attack. This time, Chisato fell to the ground...and did not get up. ?Well?I guess I should go and see how Elena is faring? Rude mussed to himself, stepping from the arena. Caina vs Eiko Carol CainofSolaris@aol.com: Caina cannot lose! Even with her Cain(a) invulnerability not counted, she does more damage than Eiko can survive in one or two hits. Caina: 136 Eiko Carol: 110 ChaosD@starband.net Caina grinned confidently at her opponent. "You can't win. Only Cain can kill Cain." "You think I'm stupid, don't you?" Eiko retorted, not moving. "What?" "You had Leon fooled with your insane logic... that only applied to one person, not every Cain in the RPG universe!" The little girl started laughing. "That's not true! I am Cain! I am Cain! I AM RAMSUS!!!!" she screamed, enraged. She fell to the ground, and began rocking back and forth, muttering insanely... "I am Ramsus... I am Cain... I am Ramsus... I am Cain... Rabits taste like purple... purple tastes like jello... I am Ramsus..." Before Caina could regain her composture, she was promptly dealt with by Fenrir's Terrestrial Rage. NinjaFire2@aol.com Eiko definitely can't match her opponent blow for blow, and her summoning expertise isn't exactly an Ace in the hole. However, her supremely effective White Magic will give her a distinct advantage, particularly if she's beaten to the point of Trance; Double White means a potent curative spell plus powerful magical artillery via Holy. Yang Fabool vs Hammer DragoonJay@excite.com: "IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY? I DO HAVE OTHER BUSINESS BOTH AT CASTLEVANIA AND ELSEWHERE." sighed Death. "Come on, bro - you owe me a favour. Just get rid of this guy and we're even." said Hammer. "HOW VERY REASSURING." mused Death. Hammer chuckled to himself. "With the Grim Reaper at my side, how can I lose?" As Yang entered the arena, there was a solemn air. The crowd knew what was in store for him. Some of the younger members were even crying. They knew that a trap was in place that no mortal could possibly escape. "I'll give you a choice, bro - you can give up now, or face my mad skillz!" mocked Hammer. Yang smirked. "I dare say that I have the sheer advantage in this match, so surrendering would be foolish." "We'll see about that... Mort! Your victim is here." The towering figure of the Reaper took his place beside the Supplier and faced Yang. "YOU WANT ME TO TAKE CARE OF HIM? I THINK NOT." "But... I command you..." "I'VE CRUSHED KINGDOMS BY MYSELF. BUT THIS ONE... HE'S BEYOND MY POWER. GOOD DAY TO YOU, SIR." said Death, vanishing. "This is not good, bro." moaned Hammer. "I would tend to agree." said Yang, throwing the first in a long, long line of punches. Yang: 143 Hammer: 104 AshburnerX@yahoo.com Finding out Yang's Weakness (His Wives Frying Pan):$10,000 Locating the Frying Pan:$5,000 Buying the Pan off Yang's Wife on Ebay: $10.50 The look on Yang's face when he realizes that Hammer has the one tool capable of defeating him? : Priceless ksoppy@yahoo.com Hammer had never felt this confident going into a match. Through his dealings with his contacts in Wyndia, he was able to secure the one and only Infinity Gene! As soon as the match began, he transformed into the fearsome Kaiser Dragon, ready to stomp Yang flat. All of a sudden though, a berserk type feeling came over him, causing him to thrash wildly through the arena, and eventually, out of it. As Yang is declared the winner, the crowd watches Kaiser Hammer rampage his way through the city. Princess Nina of Wyndia looks to her dragonic compainion Ryu, asking him why he never told him normal Kaiser goes Berserk. Ryu, who is turning the Failure Gene over in his hand, gave an uncharacteristic answer. "He never asked..." Cmdr_King@Hotmail.com Yang had every reason to be confident. He was a competent Monk, had the devestating Status Claws, and of course was an indestructable superman. Though it was in his nature to train, Yang did nothing in particular to prepare for this match. He was similarly unsurprised when he entered the Arena and found Hammer a no show. What DID surprise him was when Hammer appeared behind him and delivered a blow that knocked him out. His one weakness.. His Wifes Frying Pan! Chalk up another victory to Hammer's information network. Jedi359@mail.com Hammer stepped into the Dark alley before his match with Yang. A dark, mysterious informant with a covered face stepped out of the shadows. "Do you have it?" Asked Hammer. "Of course I do. Now pat up, as we agreed." After exchanging money for merchandise, Hammer laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha! I have the one item with which to destroy Yang! Soon no one will underestimate the Master Supplier!" The informant rolled his eyes as he exited the alley. The next day, Hammer and Yang squared off. "Foolish merchant. You should not have come here." said Yang. "Oh dear oh dear, whatever shall I do?" replied Hammer. "As a man of honor, I will gove you one free hit before I pummel the life out of you without mercy. Take your best shot." Hammer smiled as he pulled out the mysterious item. "My best shot, eh? Well than, here goes..." CLANG! Yang dropped to the ground, knocked out. "HA! I knew you would fall prey to your wife's frying pan!" Yang's wife, sitting in the crowd, shook her head. "So thats where it went. No wonder people call him the supplier...." babbwa@vcu.edu After carefully studying his opponent's moves since his last battle, Hammer feels confident that he has come up with the perfect solution. As the battle begins, Yang gives a mighty 'Achoo' and goes flying towards the rat, certain that the best way to victory is taking out Hammer before he gets a chance to set anything up. However, Yang simply goes flying THROUGH Hammer, landing outside the ring. The image of Hammer shifts to a place approximately two feet to the left, where he had been really standing. Appreciating the displacement/after image device/relic, Hammer decided he'd best try to figure out where it came from. Once again, Hammer's Mad Skillz will push him to the next round. Hammer for Godlike! nemoincognito@hotmail.com Yang strikes Hammer. Hammer reaches for his bag of tricks only to see his hand shoot wide of the mark and punch himself in the face as the confusion effect of Yang's Fairy Claw takes hold. Yang uses Hammer for oragami practice. Baron Pratau vs Zhuzhen Liu MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org: Zhuzhen waited patiently for Pratau to attack. When the Baron raised his bow, the Supreme Sage calmly stepped aside and watched the arrow plunk harmlessly into the arena mud. "Hmmm..." said Pratau. He notched and loosed another arrow. Zhuzhen had already moved out of the way, but this time he added an Ogre Flamedance to the mix. This was repeated as neccessary for several rounds. Finally, Zhuzhen proved victorious. "There are advantages to Sage-dom," he mused. Never did he mention that the chief advantage was plenty of free time to master the obscure battle system of VH2. Pratau: 57 Zhuzhen: 112 Llewelyn vs Taloon MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org: Taloon made a brave effort at selling Llewelyn a brand new bow and arrow prior to the match. He offered every bell and whistle imaginable, including a sniper scope, explosive arrows, gold plating, genuine pigskin AND calfskin grip, and even a 10-year service plan. And even better, there was NO DOWN PAYMENT. This might have worked, had not Llewelyn been accompanied by Arngrim's brother Roland. Being a starving artist, Roland was more financially savvy than you might think, and immediately spotted that Taloon hadn't included the bow itself in the deal - and that the interest charged was 50% per month. Having been rescued from a life of financial ruin, Llewelyn wasted no time Layer Storming Taloon into oblivion. Llewelyn: 127 Taloon: 115 Millie_Akkhiliades@yahoo.com Leena is seriously overrated while Llewelyn is just the opposite!!!!! He's not that bad, in fact he's pretty interesting. itemcrash@msn.com It's hard to use Layer Storm after your bow has been stolen, eh? DragoonJay@excite.com Llewelyn nocked an arrow and aimed it at Taloon. "You'll be an easy win. You're so big, even I could hit you." "Judge me by my size, do you?" mused Taloon with a smile. The humour was lost on the Einherjar, who launched his strike - and completely missed. "What the..." Taloon started to close in on the little archer. As he did that, Llew flew shot after shot, none of them hitting their intended target. Finally, Taloon stood right in front of Llew and prepared to knock him down with a mighty blow. It seemed hopeless for the archer, but he had one more trick up his sleeve. "Eat this! Finishing Strike..." The crowd could only stare in shock as Llew unleashed a point blank Layer Storm right at Taloon, even more so when every single shot missed after Taloon conveniently tripped over his own feet. "How..." cried Llewelyn. "I'm just lucky, I guess." said Taloon, knocking the Einherjar out with a single punch. Simone Verducci vs Alma Beoulve tylorh@hotmail.com: As the two nobles walked into the ring, they both went straight to the centre, to exchange pleasentries as befitted their status as nobles. "Madame Alma, please accept this gift from me to you, as is the custom in my native Toran," Simone said as he handed the youngest Beoulve a Rose Brooch. "Good sir, let me respond in kind with an ancient tradition of Ivalician Nobility," Alma said as she embraced her fellow aristocrat, and promptly stabbed him in the back with a knife hidden up her sleeve in accordance to the ancient Ivalician custom of dealing with enemies. Simone: 72 Alma: 166 NinjaFire2@aol.com Once again, the match is less about survival and more about patience. Simone's attacks can't dent Alma's formidable magical barriers, while the calm Beoulve doesn't pack much in the damage department, either. Simone's haughty aristocratic will be his undoing, since he'll likely quit the match out of boredom, giving Alma the win. DragoonJay@excite.com Simone's call sign is roses. Women love flowers. Believing that Simone was actually trying to woo her, Alma blushed. Simone pressed his attack, but to no avail. No direct damage was done, but it served to show Alma what he really thought of her. In a fury, she Ultima-ed Simone to the point where his body was no longer recognizable. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Elena vs Riddel Viper nemoincognito@hotmail.com: While it is true Lady Riddel is a woman of such build that a stronger wind could snap her body in two it would be wise not to underestimate her magic. She is, if not the strongest magician in Chrono Cross, then certainly tied for the position with Razzly and Guile. However the crippling "charge" mechanics of her spells will cost her the match as by the time she has gained enough levels on the element grid for an attack Elena will either have beaten her or have her under the influence of confuse. Elena: 154 Riddel: 118 MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Elena could easily have bested Riddel in a fight... but since the Lady of Viper Manor, thinking quickly, challenged her to a fashion show instead, the unfortunate Turk was deprived of the opportunity. Palom vs Leena DragoonJay@excite.com: Leena can cook. Good for Leena. Palom can cook Leena with Fire 3. Bad for Leena. Palom: 135 Leena: 129 nemoincognito@hotmail.com Palom has Fire 2 and high INT and MP. Leena has an elemental weakness to fire and low HP. You do the math. NinjaFire2@aol.com Who cares if Palom can't put on a cute act? An unhealthy dosage of Meteo will make a far deadlier impression. tylorh@hotmail.com Leena only has blue elements, and is weak to fire. Palom is weak to nothing, and has Fire 3. lijsterhof17@wanadoo.nl Palom's damage and status-affecting spells can pose a serious problem, especially if he can cast Meteor before Leena can build up her defenses. However, Leena is faced with a Black-orientated opponent, and as such can use ANTI-BLACK on Palom, effectively silencing him. She also has the capability to totally negate any magical damage with MAGNEGATE, use restorative spells, unleash the bane of black:ULTRANOVA and given half a chance, summon *SAINT. And when the dust settles, she can do it all again, with her element-restoring technique. Castlevania Treasure Hunt chipstick85@aol.com: "Son of a gggaaaaahhhhh!!" Just as Shir and Badrach, Kid fell victim to one of Drcula's many henchmen. Now there were only 5 of the thieves left and Dracula would claim victory. ***** Rei turned the corner to see Rikku and Lutz discussing something. "What's going on here?" "Me and Lutz were just saying how we should work together to get the prize and then decide who gets it later." "Hmm... sounds like a decent idea to me. The three of us together may be a formidable team." ***** "DDIIIIEEEEEE!!!!" Zidane unleashed yet another of his Trance attacks, but to no avail. Grauswein had yet to awake from his peaceful slumber. Wait a minute Zidane thought, maybe I can just walk right by this stupid Dragon. Trying out his luck Zidane approached the Gem, but found that the sleeping dragon was not the only thing in the room with him... ***** Locke found a nice room in the castle and went to bed. ***** Rikku and company entered the treasure room just as Zidane was getting the gem. "Hey give that to us punk!" Lutz demanded of Zidane. "Turn around kid!" "I'm not gonna fall for that craaa..." Lutz his the floor hard as a Ninja Star went through his chest." Shadow to the gem where Zidane was. The little monkey boy tried, but his skill was no match for shadow and he too soon feel to the assassin. "Excellent work Shadow, you have earned your money well, but I can finish these two off." Dracula entered the room and faced Rikku and Rei. "SUPERNOVA!!!!!" Rikku unleashed one of her ultimate mixes and many men who did not know that the 9999 damage limit could be broken were now in dire pain, well except Grauswein. This attack just woke him up. Rei who had tried to sneak behind the dragon made the first meal and Rikku followed shortly. Dracula, now recovering, turned to where Shadow had been. "Whaaa... where is the assassin, and where is my gem?!?" ***** Yawning Locke spoke, "Thanks man I needed that nap, here is the 1 million gil I promised you." "Yeah no problem pal, I haven't had this much fun since we took on Kefka." "Peace." "Interceptor, lets go." Locke: 61 Dracula: 57 Rei: 44 Zidane: 32 Rikku: 19 Kid: 16 Lutz: 12 Shir: 10 Badrach: 9 dark_nite2000@yahoo.com Bad guys are never supposed to win, right? When it comes to these band of thieves--er, treasure hunters, they do. shibakev@earthlink.net Badrach is the only thief capable of stealing the Teardrop and making it out alive. Why? Because if there's one thing he does very well, it's run away when there's danger. wyrmspirit@hotmail.com Pitty, all that it takes for Shir to get a effective steal is for her to actually enter the building.. thing is, she's not the best thief on the block.. she's as likely to steal an old dagger as she is a Laconia Sword.. she steals whatever takes her fansy, but with knowledge of the prise on hand, she'll be the first to get ahold of the tear for sure.. bad thing is, she is likely to turn up on Rolfs doorstep with the teardrop rather than sell it.. bieng from an extremely wealthy family, she hasnt a need for money at all. The rest of the thieves however, havent the best reputation for stealing, having a fifty percent chance at best.. course they're all far more popular.. so yeah.. angelicus85@hotmail.com Let's see. A bunch of people go into Dracula's castle. Belmont's are blessed by God and Alucard was half-vampire himself. Now, amoung Castlevania baddies not listed is Doppleganger! What happens when it dopplegangs a weretiger like Rei? Easy, adventurer bits! uncleprvy@hotmail.com The only one who could do this was Shir. This is because she is the only one who has been able to do successful theft after successful after successful theft. She doesn't just steal from monsters, she robs businesses and makes a proper getaway. But there are tentacle Monsters. Anime-style females are weak against tentacle monsters. Poor Shir... Shraifer@hotmail.com Castlevania Treasure Hunt> Rei's best weapon is the Holy Avenger, holy obviously being the main element, which gives him a huge advantage. Not to mention, as a thief, Rei can use his grappling hook to get to the top of the building way before anyone else. And if the impossible does happen, and Rei runs into a boss/treasure hunter, which is highly unlikely thanks to his increadible speed, he can always turn into his weirtiger form, which is almost as powerful as Ryu Dragon forms. In other words, the Teardrop is as good Rei's. Mrbucket2525@hotmail.com i'm votin Locke. He was one of the coolest theives besides Rei, and Rei isn't a very good theif if you ask me. Rei does have a good chance, as he can be in wolf form the entire way (he has no allies) but Locke is really the best theif of the bunch ANONYMOUS "It was not by my hand that I was once again overpowered" Dracula's bad voice acting is enough to crush them. Also, most of these are party characters, and since apparently they are competing, there will be at least two or three KOed by the time someone reaches the treasure room. And Castlevania is so big and reconfigures itself, "being a creature of Chaos," that at least 1 person will get lost. That leaves at the most 5 characters to plow through Alucard, the atomic Dragon, Shaft (Shut YO MOUTH!) Death himself, and of course Vlad. The chances, I have to say, aren't looking very good.... Drac catches them all, but I think Locke would come the closest, although alone he stands no chance against The Impaler. babbwa@vcu.edu The first boss takes out pretty much all of the 'unlucky' and the slightly insincere thieves. That includes Rikku, who is a machinist, not a thief. This really leaves Kid, Zidane, Locke, and Rei. Zidane manages to push on, teaming with Locke and Kid to continue, whereas Rei simply lurks close behind, letting them take out obstacles ahead of him. Locke eventually decides that it's too much trouble, he'll just wait outside and snag it from whoever comes out, leaving Kid and Zidane. Zidane 'takes one for the team' and gets whacked by Dracula, leaving Rei and Kid to fight for the Tear. Despite Rei's obvious combat prowess when compared to Kid, a man in a cloak suddenly appears in front the cat-man. "Dracula?! But they just killed you!" Rei found out it wasn't Dracula with that cape, just like Locke did a few minutes later. *** Never mess with the kid sister of Janus Zeal, aka Magus. Plenty of experience as a warlock/lord of darkness like Dracula, power to boot, and a really protective attitude to his 'sister.' ANONYMOUS well locke has the spell called vanish once he learned it in ff3 so he should be able to use it here since it is after the game. loendal@mixmail.com ˇLocke es un pringado, pero es el pringado más carismático de todos! tylorh@hotmail.com Individually, they're all going to fail, as squabbling among each other will let Drac's forces get them all. So, they all work together as a team to avoid that problem, on the way in. And so, with a pool of the best sneaks in the buisness, they get the Teardrop with no casualties, instead skirting and distracting the big foes, and crushing the small ones. On the way out though, things will be far different. With the need to get out alive and with the gem, they'll fall to plotting among each other. At this point, the advantage swings in favour of Badrach and Locke. Badrach because all his life was plotting how to get the best deal fro himself. And Locke because he was deeply involved in the politics of his world, and the sensitive political situations the Returners neededhandled often as not fell to him, giving him plenty of experience for this moment. That also means that Locke'll be able to keep the rest of the group from being overly suspicious of him, unlike Badrach, and so he's the likliest to walk out with the gem. Do you want YOUR comments seen at the RPG Playoffs Online? Just send them in along with your votes and Mr. Cranbud and the RPGP staff will review them for publication! Please refrain from using vulgar or otherwise offensive language in your comments, since Mr. Cranbud will only accept such language if it is used for genuine humorous effect, and only on a good day.