These are just some of history's greatest storytellers. But did any of them ever complete a journey like this?
Over the last several months, @Dreyski and @Randolph have delighted you with fantastic tales. They've established their characters as the protagonists in a story that spans all genres. Well not all genres. It's not non-fiction or anything. They've established their characters as the protagonists in a story that spans several genres.
And now they come before you one final time. And this time only one character can complete the true hero's journey.
@Randolph summons David Xanatos
From: Former main antagonist in the 90s Disney cartoon Gargoyles
Played by: Jonathan Frakes
Occupation: CEO of Xanatos Enterprises
Abilities/Talents:
* Best known for being the namesake of the trope, the Xanatos Gambit, his ability to think ahead of his opponents is only rivaled by the likes of Batman. He is a man who plans every possible outcome of any endeavor he takes on. Even when he seems to lose, he somehow comes out of it with something gained. Just when you think you have him beat, you soon realize that he held all the game pieces all along.
* In a show like Gargoyles, there were plenty of people with genius intellect, but none seemed to compared to Mr. Xanatos. He turned $20,000 from an artifact he gave himself with the power of time travel and became one of the richest men in the world. He is gifted in knowledge of robotics, cloning, and nanotechnology, which he used to take on powerful creatures like the gargoyles and even gods themselves.
* Unlike other cartoon bad guys, Xanatos remains remarkedly cool under pressure, maintaining an even mind under the harshest of circumstances. He takes setbacks extremely well and is able to adapt to any situation extremely fast.
* In a world of gods and supernatural creatures, Xanatos has vast knowledge of the magical arts, which he uses to great extent when science and technology are not enough.
* Xanatos is a borderline sociopath. He has no problem using others to gain knowledge or power. He draws the line at murder of maiming, however.
* Xanatos is very hands-on for a billionaire. He is an expert at karate, judo, and other hand-to-hand combat techniques. These physical traits are enhanced when he is using his armor.
Fights with:
His main claim to fame is his red ex-frame suit. Modeled after the main gargoyle character, Goliath.
Abilities:
* Modeled after the most powerful gargoyle, it matches his strength and agility.
* Jet packs on his back allow him to fly or stay in place in the air when necessary. Xanatos is able to get anywhere he needs to fast and efficiently.
* The claws on his hands and feet, along with the edges of his wings, are razor sharp. Able to slice through stone easily.
* Made of the most durable alloys, his suit is able to handle many types of physical and magical blows.
* Particle blasters are located on his forearms and shoulders. They can deal some heavy damage.
* His latest suit was endowed with the same AI he used to create Coyote. He has the ability to use the suit even when he is not in it.
Xanatos also has many magical artifacts in his collection, including the Phoenix Gate, which gave him the powers of time travel and instant teleportation. But it is his power of foresight and intellect that will make him a tough opponent to anyone foolish enough to take him on.
I will end this with Xanatos's most famous saying.
Master Assassin and Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins
Skills:
- Trained to an elite level in a wide variety of weaponry and unarmed combat
- Skilled freerunner and freeclimber, able to 'synchronise' himself with local environment from the top of tall structures
- Trained to blend into crowds, making himself undetectable
- Extreme durability, has tanked arrows, gunshots, and even cannon fire
- Able to fall from great heights without damage. For extreme falls, has access to Leonardo Da Vinci-designed parachutes to glide to Earth
- Possesses the 'Eagle Sense', which allows him to locate enemies, determine targets, and track where they have come from and where they're going
Equipment:
- Twin hidden blades (upgraded by Leonardo, one bracer contains a wheelock pistol and poison dart launcher)
- Long sword and dagger
- Throwing knives
- Smoke bombs
- Crossbow
- Armour with a perfect balance of weight and strength
- The 'Apple of Eden', a powerful artefact created by the pre-human Isu civilisation. Its full powers may never be known, but known powers include conjuring illusions, casting tangible holograms, and Human mind control (to a fatal level, at short ranges)
Once beat up the pope in a fistfight.
They will fight at Waterloo (During the Battle of Waterloo)
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition. One of these was a British-led coalition consisting of units from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick, and Nassau, under the command of the Duke of Wellington (referred to by many authors as the Anglo-allied army or Wellington's army). The other was composed of three corps of the Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal von Blücher (the fourth corps of this army fought at the Battle of Wavre on the same day). The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars
The Waterloo position chosen by Wellington was a strong one. It consisted of a long ridge running east–west, perpendicular to, and bisected by, the main road to Brussels. Along the crest of the ridge ran the Ohain road, a deep sunken lane. Near the crossroads with the Brussels road was a large elm tree that was roughly in the centre of Wellington's position and served as his command post for much of the day. Wellington deployed his infantry in a line just behind the crest of the ridge following the Ohain road. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo
RULES
- 3 posts each over 5 days which will be timestamped after this post.
- 500 word count maximum per post. If the word count goes over then everything after the 500th word will be cut off.
- Posts must be staggered so whoever goes first must wait until their opponent has responded before they can go again.
- No editing. Once the post is in it is in.
- No rebuttals to each other on the first set of posts. Once everyone has posted first time around then it is fair game to rebut. Don’t mention your opponent (s) in the first set of posts.
- Post links, videos, images gifs etc to your heart's content! These will not count towards the word count.
- Quoting your opponent does not count towards the word count however using words from an outside source/article/reference will count.
- - Adding anything extra that is outside the abilities of the Intro may be acceptable, but you must provide a source of it and be consistent with your intro.
- Remember, appearance and formatting counts.
The EXCEL SPREADSHEET OF DOOM has determined that Dreyski WILL GO FIRST.
It's time to separate the Fact....from the FICTION.
Ezio finds himself in Le Caillou, the house Napoleon had spent the previous night. Moving around undetected, his Eagle sense guides him to where the French Emperor is talking strategy and giving final orders to his generals and marshals. Ezio couldn't possibly have known this, but Napoleon had dealings with the assassins nearly 20 years before, having a long (if complicated) friendship with the French Assassin, Arno Dorian.
Initially indignant at being interrupted, once the Emperor recognises the assassin emblem worn by Ezio, he regards this as a good omen for the battle ahead. Ezio too has a battle of his own, so he takes the opportunity to do some intelligence gathering. Communication isn't an issue between them – Napoleon can speak fluent Italian, and Ezio is equally comfortable in French, due to his privileged upbringing.
Regarding the French army organized ready for battle, it doesn't take Ezio long to realize that despite advances in metallurgy and tactics, cannons are still recognisably cannons, rifles are still recognisably rifles, and blades are still recognisably blades. 1510 or 1815, people still kill each other the same way.
Ezio won't enter open battle on the field this day, but he promises to man Le Caillou (an easily defensible position) and asks for a small detachment of French troops and artillery to help him achieve victory over his unknown opponent.
In a marshy swamp not far from the town of Waterloo in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, sparks and flashes emanate from out of thin air. Suddenly, a big bright red hulk of a machine appears out of nowhere, holding a medallion shaped like a bird.
The red figure, looking like some kind of metal monster, surveys the flat, swampy marshlands surrounding him, and takes off the helmet covering his head.
David Xanatos, the man with the plan, checks his chronometer and computer to find out where... and when the Phoenix Gate has taken to.
"Ah, the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The downfall of one mankind's greatest emperors. The fool didn't realize that it's not armies that will rule the world, but intellect and money. Sad the Phoenix Gate didn't take me to Paris, but then again, I have plenty of 19th Century Parisian wine at home."
Xanatos is no fool, he knows he will stick out like a sore thumb in his suit, but he is a patient man. He has dealt with people whose specialty is blending in with their surroundings, so he will play the waiting game to see who or what is waiting here for him
The Phoenix Gate is a powerful magical device that takes people to where, and when, they need to be. Every time he has gone somewhere, he has had to face off against crafty opponents with weapons that he has collected after defeating them. With every new artifact he finds, he knows that no one will be able to stop him from becoming the most powerful man in the world, not even the gargoyle Goliath.
Xanatos is not interested in ruining the timeline or worried about the local soldiers. The Phoenix Gate is not a time disruptor, but a tool to set things right in time as they are meant to be. Even if the armies of the French or the Allies turn their guns on him, musket balls aren't that dangerous against 20th Century steel alloys and other materials created by Xanatos Enterprises that comprise his exo-frame suit. But Xanatos is aware that people from the past can be worthy foes. Hell, his most-worthy opponent is over a thousand years old. He must be patient and prepared for anyone or anything that antagonizes him. Even so, David will bide his time and see who will make their move against him. After all, what is time to a time traveler?
Ezio would be rather relieved to see that flying metal man take off his helmet and reveal a flesh-and-blood man beneath.
Let's be real for a minute here, Ezio doesn't stand a chance against a guy whose main tactic should be 'fly into the air and fire particle cannons'. Even his Apple might not be enough if all the defences built into the suit work as claimed.
So, Ezio's best chance is to get Xanatos out of the suit. Luckily David KNOWS he sticks out (as stated in the previous post), and even he may be unwilling to test his armour against the combined firepower of close to 200,000 soldiers and nearly 400 big guns. This is what a cannonball does against 1815 armour:
and even though the suit's armour is more advanced, a direct hit would knock him back and down, if not cause massive internal trauma, as the kinetic energy of the projectile is transferred.to the target. Not to mention the mess grape shot would cause to his wings and any unarmoured part of the body. It might get to the point where the AI component of the suit bugs out, and Ezio wins via BFR.
Ultimately and paradoxically, Xanatos may be safest out of the armour as a battle rages about him. But in all the cacophony and chaos it can be difficult, even for what is essentially a well-groomed Elon Musk, to pick out a target. So let's have Ezio lead him in. A quick blast of the Apple should be visible enough to pique an expert on the otherwordly. Once Xanatos is within visual range, Ezio has the most options to strike, with choices such as throwing knives, crossbow, poison dart and his pistol. Or maybe he's taken to the roof of the farmhouse, ready to pounce as Xanatos passes below. If the farm has a haystack, which is a distinct possibility in 1815, that's another Assassin kill point (and they'll never find the body). Or maybe he'll stand his ground as Xanatos approaches and just use the Apple to melt his head.
If Xanatos has a weakness, it's love his ego, even when dealing with matters way above his expertise. Ezio can and will exploit this to emerge victorious.
Since Xanatos can appear about anywhere and anytime he is needed with the Phoenix Gate, Ezio is not going to be given enough headway in where he is going to be or where he is. And Xanatos is not one to leave his helmet off for long periods of time when danger is nearby. Xanatos is not going to pretend to blend in in a period where flight won't be around for another 90 years. Once he knows who the threat is, he will be more proactive than what he was during his time in a town filled with superheroes or modern-day Pennsylvania.
Ezio, not being a time traveler himself, would be at a major disadvantage when it comes to trying to size up his opponent.
He won't even be able to comprehend what the damn metal monstrosity is made of, considering steel won't be developed until the late 19th Century and mastered until after WWI. Xanatos' ex-frame suit is made of steel polymers that make it able to shread through stone and metal, with claws and strength that rivals any gargoyle.
And the old musketballs of the Napoleon era were highly inefficient when it came to accuracy and damage, even compared with the bullets they later develop during the Civil War era.
These more modern-shaped bullets won't be around for another 50 years. And while these could tear through flesh and bone, they are not going to do much against tempered steel alloys that have been tested against gargoyle-strength and even magic.
And as far as worrying about the soldiers that now surround him, well, let us show how George Washington would deal with musket-era soldiers with a little piece of modern technology.
These bastards would start running the second a "metal monster" would fly up into the sky and send a few particle beam cannon shots their way. Xanatos would remove this "threat" from the field by operating out in the open and scaring them away like little girls. It would be the natural human instinct to do when you are dealing with technology you couldn't even comprehend.
Xanatos would take away your advantage simply by operating out in the open, scaring the hell out of anyone who sees him, and keeping his helmet on and being protected by the bows and arrows, musketballs, and any other kind of primitive technology that would pathetically be used against him.
And as I have stated before, Xanatos is not a cookie-cutter villain. He has an ego but knows how to keep it in check when he is in a fight for something he wants. He looks for and plans for a victory, no matter what happens. And while he has a conscience, he is not afraid to use his advantages to wipe out the competition and he will win.
I'm just going to touch on the whole weaponry side of this before deeper diving into my final post.
Yes, the armour of Xanatos's suit is leagues ahead of 1815 weapons. But there's just shy of 200,000 of them pointing at you. We still don't know the full capabilities of the Apple – who's to say it couldn't control two whole armies? A couple of lucky shots to the back and feet could damage or destroy the rockets allowing flight. And to repeat myself, cannonballs don't need to penetrate the armour to do damage – the momentum and energy transfer would at the very least knock Xanatos off balance, and may well leave him with fucked up internal organs. After all, 'spearmen beats tank' is actually a thing... https://forums.civfanatics.com/threa...s-tank.364209/
Onto the issue of time travel – As I understand it, using the Phoenix gate doesn't change history because from our present viewpoint, it already happened, therefore no paradox. Xanatos' issue here is that doesn't have the Apple in the present day, so he can't have taken it in 1815. Mainly because he is up against Ezio, who has pre-and post-cognition granted by his Eagle sense. He can see where Xanatos will be before he gets there, and if Xanatos has already been there, Ezio can give chase or stalk by following his trail. Ezio's life is well chronicled. If Xanatos successfully intervened at any point, we'd know about it.
If Ezio is to defeat Xanatos one-on-one his best bet is to appeal to Xanatos' ego. Drop his weapons and challenge Xanatos to single combat. The suit was made for fighting gargoyles, and one variant was made for fighting gods. If Xanatos respects the man, then fight as equals. Unfortunately, all his martial arts training will be for naught against a master assassin. He submitted while sparring with Owen, for heaven's sake. Even unarmed, Ezio can dodge, block, counter, and ground Xanatos. Whether he'll leave Xanatos alive is a matter of debate – Xanatos still existing in the present day would suggest he does, but this is the crux, and the biggest difference between the two: Xanatos doesn't have a killer's instinct. As you stated:
Originally Posted by Randolph
He draws the line at murder of maiming, however.
Ezio's body count could be in the thousands, but never against innocents. Xanatos is an Illuminatos and a convicted criminal. Draw your own conclusions.
The final fact is that if Xanatos is after the Apple, possessing it won't do anything for him. Rodrigo Borgia had possession of two Pieces of Eden and couldn't get the vault in the Vatican to open. Ezio is the prophet of the Isu and his bloodline, from Altair to Desmond Miles, is key to stopping the solar flare of 2012. Indeed, Xanatos is only alive now because Desmond, using Ezio's skills, sacrificed himself to save the world.
Cannons in 1815 were basically bowling ball projectors, meant to knock out marching troops and calvary. They weren't meant for shooting things in the air, and their precision would hardly be enough to hit a man that uses jet packs to move through the air fast. And I still contend that people who would see Xanatos flying around in the air would run like little bitches, like they would've had if George Washington came at them in Dodge Challengers. Technology is scary if you don't understand what it is. If necessary, Xanatos could lob a few particle beam shots at them, and the ensuing confusion and chaos would render them ineffective.
And your time paradox doesn't work when before Xanatos left, he didn't have something, and when he returns, he now has something. Plus, time moves in funky ways in the Gargoyles universe. In the Gargoyles episode "AVALON" The Archmage, a powerful magical **dead** guy, somehow went into the past and gave himself the Eye of Odin and the Phoenix Gate, giving himself immense power.
Paradoxes don't exist with the Phoenix Gate, so moving along.
Xanatos has some morals, but he absolutely will use any advantage he can in a fight to win. Xanatos has the uncanny ability to preplan several contingency plans simultaneously to make sure he always comes out on top, which usually means stacking the deck to ensure a victory. David would never take off his suit and try to fight an assassin with no advantage, that's not his style. Pictured above, he built a robot made out of a magical cauldron that could trap magical beings. He trapped the Navajo spirit Coyote so he would grant him immortality. He doesn't care about fair play, he cares about results. Even though he is a trained martial artist, you would be foolish to pin your entire hopes of Xanatos suddenly deciding to fight fairly and stupidly. Coming out on top is more important.
As far as not being able to use your Apple, it matters little to Xanatos. If that is what the Phoenix Gate sent him there for, he will get it and find a way to use it. In the episode mentioned earlier about the trickster spirit Coyote, Xanatos had managed to acquire the Cauldron of Life, which was supposed to grant a person immortality. Using a test subject, he found out it made them immortal by turning them to stone... No matter, he melted the thing down and used its metal to form that robot that could capture magical beings. He runs Xanatos Enterprises, this biggest magical research facility in the world! Given the time, he will find a way to use it and it will benefit him in some way.
No matter what you do, Xanatos is always ten steps ahead of you. Even if you thought you were going to win, you actually find out:
“Don’t flatter yourself. You were never even a player.”
These warriors have built worlds with their words.
And yet somehow, at the apex, words escape me.
These two have twisted physics to give you logic. And they've led us out of the cave of our dreary existence into a new realm of realization. Plato pales in comparison.
But yet, in the end, only one fire will burn eternally.
Judge Badger
Originally Posted by Badger
It was a good fight fitting for a final. Dreyski started off strongly and liked his strategy of communicating with the armies in foreign languages. It was a risky strategy trying to tempt Xanatos to come out of his suit. I think Randolph finished stronger though saying Xanatos would be too smart for that and his point about the armies potentially being scared of the unknown technology was a really good one. I felt he was able to stick to his argument a bit better and countered everything Dreyski threw at him like with the weaponry and paradox.
Close one but Randolph is my choice for Fiction Fight Champion.
Judge CWE
Originally Posted by CWE
XANATOS vs. EZIO
Championship time. Let's do this...
Round 1...
Ezio comes out and forms an alliance with a FUCKING army. Nice.
Xanatos flies in like a super villian. Bold strategy.
Ezio wins 10-8
Round 2...
Ezio opens fire. And yes the weapons might be weak, but death by a 1000 bee stings?
Xanatos has a solid counter with future weapons.
Xanatos wins 10-9
Round 3...
Ezio sadly goes away from brute force for honor (understandable and respectable).
Xantos...doesn't.
Xanatos wins 10-9
Final score 28-28 but Xantos wins 2 rounds to 1.
Great job both of you. It was a lot closer than it should have been.
Randolph...throw the Apple in the box with your new gunblade and dagger.
Judge Psych
Originally Posted by Psycho666Soldier
As far as the first round goes, I think Dreyski has a stronger start. Dreyski utilizes his post to establish a line of intelligence and alliance with Napoleon, giving him a small army and a base of operations. Randolph's first post is a fun read, but doesn't do a lot to set up his strategy or anything like that.
Second round is definitely in Randolph's favor. I think Dreyski set up a lot of good points for Ezio, specifically with the various ways he could take down Xanatos and how standing out may force him to take off his armor. I also think illustrating the science behind cannons helps. But the truth is that Randolph is right that most humans in that era would run in fear at the sight of Xanatos' suit. And I think he did well defending the strength of his suit vs. the industrial development of the early 1800s. I'll say, though, I'm not sure if Xanatos would really be able to use the Phoenix Gate to just teleport around at will as seems to be the implication in this post.
I like that Dreyski is quick to reinforce the capabilities of a cannonball regardless of whether it penetrates the armor, though I always vague language hurts your argument, so saying the armies could maybe be mind controlled and that they could get lucky in firing at Xanatos isn't strongly convincing. I'm a bit confused on his point about the apple and time travel? Randolph never said he was coming for the apple, so I don't really get what some of that argument was about? The pre/post-cognition is good, but the rest was ultimately wasted words as I feel it relies on assumptions about Xanatos. The best part was how he would trounce Xanatos in hand-to-hand combat, but that relies on Xanatos actually taking the bait.
And Randolph ends with a strong post undoing all this. Proving that cannons aren't good for anti-air warfare, and affirming that he would never fall for the bait. I think he wasted time correcting the time paradox and saying whether he would be able to figure out how the apple would work, and I do think he was dismissive of Ezio's potential for mind control.
But overall, Ezio's attempts to foil Xanatos were all countered or proven ineffective, even if he could mind control the armies. At worst, he could maybe get Xanatos on the ground for a moment, but I wasn't convinced that he would be able to fatally take advantage of that situation.
The first name may be the most appropriate. As Randolph has completed his own Odyssey. It was never easy. The road was winding. But at each turn, he took all obstacles. Never needing a concession, and offering his opponents no quarter. While Xanatos, never conquered Goliath, Randolph with Xanatos has conquered all.
And now he joins the immortals. He will forever be remembered as RANDOLPH: FICTION FIGHT CHAMPION.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Randolph
