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Fogel (Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen) |
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Fogel, the greatest of the Sky Knights, is ready to take on the next roadbump in this Heavy bracket, Jack Van Burace. Fogel laughs at Jack's paltry Fast Arts, and although Fogel might be a touch slower to the draw, he's going to be leading in damage due to his physicals. Jack's versatility fails him here, as all his varied tricks won't make a bit of difference against the damage-dealing tank that is Fogel. This match will drag a bit due to Jack's healing, but in the end it'll be Jack a bloody spot on the floor and the Dragon Rider moving on to the semi-finals, with his eye on the Heavy Championship. |
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After dispatching the wanna-be playboy prince last round, Jack has begun the road to the Heavy finals once again. However, this match won't be like the last one - Fogel will most definitely be a challenge to this adventurer. Jack's speed is his biggest advantage here, as keeping ahead of and avoiding the blows of Fogel will be a key to winning. With amazing versatility and incredibly quick damage damage, Jack can put a serious hurting on Fogel early on that the man turned dragon fanatic cannot hope to recover from. After that, it's just two more steps to yet another Heavy final! |
Lance Fogel sniffed the air and adjusted the sword hanging on his hip ever-so-slightly. The deafening roar of the crowd irritated the dragon knight's sensitive hearing as he stood before the entrance to the Arena, Slust and Fenril positioned just a few feet behind him. Fogel took a deep breath to steady his nerves and glanced out into the sea of faces beyond the entryway. He never was too fond of fighting in front of a crowd. "It's almost time," Slust stated as he checked his pocket watch. Fogel grunted and shot a backwards glance at his two companions. "Wait for me here. It shall take but a few minutes to dispose of this rogue." As the dragoon began to walk through the entryway, Fenril called after him in an uncharacteristically concerned voice: "Fogel!" The dragon knight turned around and glanced at his companion. Fenril was biting her bottom lip. "Be careful," she said after a moment of thought. Fogel simply twisted his reptilian face into a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Fenril. I will be fine," he said before stepping out into the Arena. ----------------------------------- "Well, looks like it's about time for me to kick some more ass," Jack said from the second entryway on the opposite side of the battle ground. "There you go again, getting cocky," Hanpan squeaked from his perch atop Jack's shoulder. "I've read up on this Fogel guy. If you take him lightly, you're going to lose." "Hanpan's right, Jack," Cecilia said. "You really need to focus this time. I watched his match with Dias last week and it was just brutal. I would hate to see the same thing happen to you." Rudy nodded in agreement. "Hey, hey, relax, will ya?" Jack reassured his companions. "The guy can't even heal, for cryin' out loud. If worse comes to worse, I'll just outlast him. Besides, I'm not about to lose so soon in the season. I'm going to win that title and make it into Godlike this time; just you wait and see!" Jack said pointedly as he turned and marched through the entryway of the Arena. Hanpan jumped from Jack's shoulder onto Cecilia's. "Good luck, Jack!" he called out to his companion as Rudy flashed a thumbs-up. Cecilia just sighed and watched Jack depart. "He's going to get his butt kicked..." she muttered to herself. ----------------------------------- The crowd was cheering dramatically as Jack and Fogel entered the ring. At long last, it was time for this week's premier Heavy match to begin. Fogel placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and eyed the Dream Chaser shrewdly. He had opted to assume his boss form for this battle to protect himself from Jack's instant death spells. Without this trick to fall back on, the Dream Chaser had nothing left in his arsenal that could possibly damage the dragon knight. He had nothing to fear. Jack was also sizing up his opponent. Jeez. This guy sure is big in person, the Dream Chaser thought to himself as he sized up the seven-foot-tall knight. Still, I have nothing to worry about. He's just a one-trick pony. The sound of a buzzer filled the air, signifying the beginning of the match. Jack immediately whipped out his sword and unleashed the power of Slash Rave, striking the heavily-armored dragoon half a dozen times in the blink of an eye. The crowd cheered at this display of aggression on Jack's part, but their cheers quickly turned into a collective gasp as Fogel drew his sword and swung it in a mighty vertical arc toward Jack. A blast of energy emanated from the sword and slammed into Jack's torso, sending the Dream Chaser skidding to the other end of the platform. Fogel grunted as the whiplash effect of his Iainuki technique drained a bit of his energy, but quickly regained his composure. He glanced at his torso and almost chuckled in satisfaction. The Dream Chaser's mad slash-fest had barely even scratched his armor! Jack, meanwhile, found that he was in pretty bad shape. He lifted himself up onto his hands and knees, coughed, and shakily got to his feet. The front of his jacket was shredded from the blast of energy he had been struck with. The flesh visible beneath his tattered coat was bruised and scraped. "Damn. That hurt more than I thought it would," Jack muttered to himself as he gripped his sword tightly with both hands. "Heh...wasn't quite expecting that." Fogel wasted no time continuing his attack. He took several steps forward and swung his sword again, sending yet another blast of energy hurtling in Jack's direction. This time, however, there was enough space between the two combatants for Jack to leap out of the way. As he landed deftly on the ground a few feet away, he was met with the blade of Fogel, who had estimated the point where Jack would land so he could strike right away. Jack barely managed to get his sword up in time to block the vicious blow. Fogel snarled and continued the offensive, brining his sword down and unleashing another mighty blast of Iainuki. Once again, Jack caught the attack square in the chest and went skidding across the floor. The Dream Chaser's health was nearly depleted. Another attack like that and he was a goner. Jack doggedly picked himself up to his hands and knees. He turned the sword in his hand so the tip was pointing toward his own body. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing all of his energy on the restorative Heal Blade technique. A comforting light washed over him, restoring his lost stamina and mending some of his injuries. Fogel narrowed his reptilian eyes as he watched the Dream Chaser heal himself from the opposite side of the platform. Hmmm...this could be bothersome, the dragoon thought to himself. I must not give him the opportunity to rest. I had better end this contest now.... Fogel drew his sword and held it loosely in one hand as he stalked his prey. Jack wisely chose to keep his distance, for he knew that his chances of dodging the Iainuki blast were much better if he stayed far away from his opponent. Fogel took a sudden lunge forward and sent another blast of energy hurtling toward Jack. The technique again drained a bit of Fogel's health, but it was worth it to see the Dream Chaser brutalized by the blast. Once more, Jack took the force of the blast full in the chest and went skidding across the Arena floor. Before Fogel could fire off another blast, Jack retreated and restored himself with Heal Blade. This process was repeated for several tense minutes. Every time Fogel blasted his opponent with Iainuki, Jack would go flying to the other end of the Arena. Before the dragon knight could deal the fatal blow, however, that persistent Dream Chaser simply retreated and healed himself! The monotonous process was beginning to wear on Fogel's nerves, but it mattered not. The Dream Chaser would surely run out of MP soon enough. Sure enough, Jack's MP reserves ran dry several minutes later. He cast Heal Blade on himself one last time and stood upright, his forehead slick with sweat and his breath coming to him in gasps. Damn, this doesn't look good, he thought forlornly. Did I miscalculate? No, I must be close by now. I just need to survive a bit longer.... Fogel took several threatening steps forward, his armor clanking ominously. "This has gone on far enough, Dream Chaser. You have been a worthy adversary, and for that I commend you. I can see by the look in your eyes that you realize your end has come. Your MP reserves have run dry; you can no longer heal yourself. For you bravery and your courage, I shall take mercy upon you. Kindly surrender your blade and accept defeat peacefully, Dream Chaser. I would hate to strike down such a worthy adversary." Jack simply smirked and held out his arms, leaving his midsection completely unprotected. "Up yours, dragon boy! Give me your best shot." Fogel's eyes narrowed in fury. "Insolent wretch! How dare you mock me so, especially after I have taken mercy upon you! You shall die where you stand!" And with that, Fogel swung his sword in another downward arch which sent a blast of energy hurtling toward his opponent. The energy blast slammed into Jack's already-bloodied chest, dropping the Dream Chaser into a crumpled heap. Fogel marched up to the barely-conscious form of the Dream Chaser and raised his sword high into the air to strike the killing blow. A split-second before Fogel could drop his blade, however, a bright green light enveloped Jack's body, forcing the dragon knight to step backwards and shield his eyes. The light illuminated Jack like a halo as he effortlessly picked himself up off the ground. Moments later, the light subsided, leaving behind only a grinning, fully-healed Dream Chaser. "Sounds tempting, but I've got other plans," Jack said with a smirk as he raised his sword. "I've never been the type of guy to take mercy on his enemies, so I'm just going to beat you now if you don't mind." Before Fogel could even blink, Jack rushed forward and slashed at the dragon knight with a well-placed Sonic Vision. The blow shredded Fogel's heavy armor like a saw blade cutting through tin foil, sending slivers of metal and sparks flying in all directions. All the air left Fogel's lungs as he was thrown to the ground by the force of the blow. The dragon knight lay still for several moments, his mind numb with disbelief. Why was he feeling so exhausted all of the sudden? Why was he unable to raise his head? Surely he had enough strength left to fight! No matter how powerful that Sonic Vision technique was, there was no way it could vanquish the mighty dragoon in one hit! And then, realization dawned in Fogel's mind: his repeated castings of Iainuki throughout the battle had slowly been draining his health. He did not have the strength to withstand Jack's final attack after he had suffered so much damage as a result of his own technique. Fogel managed to choke out a harsh laugh before he slipped into unconsciousness. "Well met, Dream...Chaser...." Jack breathed a deep sigh of relief as he sheathed his sword. For a moment, he had begun to think that he had miscalculated the number of Iainukis he could sustain before he reached Condition Green. As most of the audience erupted into cheers at the Dream Chaser's victory, Jack turned and slowly exited the battle ground. It was a close fight, but he had won it. Now that the toughest challenge was behind him, there was nothing that could stop him now.... Fogel: 37 |
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