[OCL] Round 1 - Constructs

Finley's heart sank, watching the fiery lichen construct slam its blazing fist into a small water construct he'd made only moments ago. With the heat, its liquid form quickly dissipated into the air, leaving only a faint puddle on the ground. Slowly raising its hand, the beast and its owner stared directly at the young slug. Ghost-Eye didnt seem amused. In fact, he looked furious.

The young man swallowed, staring at the empty glass bottles thrown carelessly against the colloseum grounds. At the start of the fight, they had been filled to the brim with water. But even using everything he had, it simply wasn't enough to conquer this vine-bound monstrosity. His skills just weren't able to keep up with the more talented individuals of the League. He was foolish to thing he could be among them. Finley clenched his fists. He closed his eyes. He awaited his failure.

At that moment, the sky was torn asunder.

Lightning. And with it, an incredible burst of water exploded from the sky. An immediate, sudden storm that drenched the world around them. The lichen beast roared, staggering back, its flaming form sizzling and fading, unable to run or hide. Ghost-Eye's eyes widened, his gaze locked on the small slug who, only moments ago, had completely given up. 

Power spilled forth from Finley as he stood to his feet. He raised his hand, orchestrating the droplets around him like a craft. Weaving them and binding them together, twisting and turning, bringing life from nothing. A great majestic creature, one sculpted from a quiet likeness to his own form. Finley took a step forward, and pointed a finger towards his opponent's construct. Ghost-Eye grinned.

"This! This is what I wanted! Now come on, boy! Fight us!"

...

There was a part of him which was happy when his victory was announced. When his great construct had drowned Ghost-Eye's flaming lichen monster in a torrent of heavy water. And when the rainfall had stopped, and the sky had opened again to reveal a beautiful sunlight, the power that possessed him had left him. It all felt... strange. He was happy, but it felt undeserved. He shook the great chieftan's hand afterwards, but he felt... guilty. After all, even with everything at Finley's disposal, it had been Ghost-Eye who had won. Despite everything, his fiery creation far surpassed Finley's original. And it was only through sheer luck, through sheer happenstance, that he had succeeded.

If the forecast didn't state rain, he would have been out without question.

So why did the Academic Collective give him this victory...?

****************************************************

HOOOO BOY. I've literally been working on this piece non-stop. Every day from the Round 1 announcement, I've been slowly chipping away at this monster. Over 150 layers later, and a file that's way too chonky for its own good, its done! I've... well, I've never done a comic, and something like this is definitely a first!  This was a huge risky experiment, which had me try a lot of new things, but I'm very happy with it!

Also, I have to say, Ghost-Eye was an absolute pleasure to go against. Takken, you're wonderful, and I hope I did your boy justice <3
His brutal introduction, his appearance alone, and his spiritual capabilities left Finley overwhelmed! Ghost-Eye is a powerful chieftan, with a crap ton of fighting experience, and a relentless mindset that pushes people to give their all. Finley is terrified of this man. And I figured that, realistically with his power set, Finley couldn't win gainst him. After all, he can't really make a decent construct from a few bottles of water in his bag, and his water form doesn't count for this.

But then I was inspired by like... those sudden bursts of rain, where its suddenly thunder and lightning and you're fine one minute, then suddenly soaked to the bones, and then a few minuites later its bright again. I've been in that before and I hated it, but I figured something sudden like that would REALLY give him an edge!

Anyway, I've babbled enough. Good luck to everyone at the OCL! Let's try our best with round 2 and 3! WE'VE GOT THIS, GUYS!!