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Post by Clair Feldsky on Aug 26, 2012 13:32:41 GMT -6
Clair turned her head at Richter's voice, and looked back over her shoulder at the hardened man. This was the rough cut figure she always associated with Ilia. Richter was a sturdy as the mountains, and as rugged as the cliffs, but she saw a handsomeness in the life hewn features of the man with her.
"I guess you're right.... This is better. If nothing else, the change in armor gives you a chance to show off those rippling arm muscles...." Clair gave her commander a teasing grin, and threw procedure to the wind. Heck with it! We're entering a tournament!
"Although, you could have gone that route, if you really wanted to keep eith the lightly armored theme." She pointed to a point further up the line, to where there was a warrior wearing nothing but pants, boots, and a leather vest worn open. His weapon looked to be of decent quality, at least, though she wasn't sure he would live long enough to use it.
"There's got to be people here from every country...." She said, returning to a more typical voice. "You know, in war armor is important, but I don't actually know if it will make too much difference here. Do they stop the fight if someone scores a hit? Or does the fight continue until you yield?" Richter might know. He'd been around more than she had.... He probably had frequented events like this before as well.
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Aurek
Soldier
I hate the undead just a little more than I hate the living.
Posts: 122
Profession: Santa
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Post by Aurek on Aug 26, 2012 16:41:36 GMT -6
Aurek woke up from his spot on the ground and looked at the huge line forming. Ugh, I hate all these people here. he thought to himself. Whatever. I'm just here to do something and go to sleep. What he really meant was to walk out into the arena and get knocked unconscious. After all, he wanted some good sleep without being annoyed. He had been sleeping on the ground as was his usual, fully clad in all his armor and clothes. He never actually took the stuff off. I really hope this works.
Apparently, people did not take kindly to drunks loitering around towns. They usually left him alone when he was awake, but as soon as he fell asleep the biggest guy would throw him out. Aurek, would try fighting back, but his skills were so lacking that he usually got his butt kicked. On the rare occasion that he was successful, the townspeople would drive him out after he killed whoever he was fighting.
The soldier outfit didn't help much either. People just naturally assumed Aurek was some kind of mercenary or benefactor who could rid them of their problems or get in the way of their dubious activities. It didn't matter how much he tried to explain he just wanted to be left alone, they kept pestering him, trying to pay him off or kill him. Not exactly the peaceful existence he was hoping for.
One would think dropping the drunk persona and the armor would fix the problems, but Aurek already knew that wouldn't help. He was 43 years old. Granted, he looked like an ancient relic, but people still expected him to have some kind of trade or way of earning a living. A useless bum was not welcome in any town. He needed something so people wouldn't force him into some job.
That is what led Aurek to the arena. He figured he could get beaten badly and just relax in some hospital. It would be fairly quiet in there and no one to bother him. Plus, with all the guards, he hardly had to worry about anyone forcing useless tasks on him. As he surveyed the crowd, his inexperienced eyes figured everyone was a competent fighter already. Yeah, this plan should work. Aurek spied a particularly ruthless man with an oversized hammer. He should be the perfect opponent. Get smacked in the head with that thing, and it's lights out. Really hope there's some safety devices in place to make sure I don't die. Now when is this thing going to start so I can get this over with?
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Post by Valcrist on Aug 27, 2012 12:21:07 GMT -6
Alright it seems that Yaen was sufficiently distracted, someone else came by as well but Valcrist was too focused on his timed espionage escape mission. Biting his lip lightly, he began to slip away when no one was looking. Then suddenly someone reached out and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, Valcrist letting out a quiet groan as his body is pulled.
"my student, Valcrist." he was being put on display for some folks he didn't even know. Slowly, from both embarrassment and dread he turned his head to look at the man Yaen was talking to.
"Hi." He let out a small wave before getting a good look. This is important to note because once he did get a good look he probably wouldn't be able to string together anything that isn't a string a random noises. It was a man he recognized, well he SHOULD recognize this man, of anyone in the entire world. This was the man who made him want to take up the sword in the first place. Of course, Valcrist should be thrilled to finally meet him in person. Well for the second time. Of course he wasn't, instead he was terrified to his very core.
He couldn't get away, not this time, Yaen had him by the arm and it would be impossible to shake him again. So he did the only thing he could. Stare blankly with wide eyes. Biting his lip so hard it will probably start bleeding. Maybe if he didn't move, he wouldn't see him. Like he's some kind of reptile.
I... I just wanted to make some money...
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Post by Richter Abend on Aug 28, 2012 2:05:17 GMT -6
"I've learned that I prefer having at least some armor on me if given the choice," said Richter, attempting to ignore the pegasus knight's first comment, though not succeeding entirely as could be seen by the slightly embarrassed look on his face. Yes, he had muscles. He was a warrior by trade, so how could he not? But it felt odd having Clair point it out, though it wasn't necessarily a bad odd. Even Richter enjoyed compliments now and then. "That man, however, looks ready to lose something." Perhaps his life? It wouldn't be a surprise if at least one disillusioned man showed up to the tournament for the sole purpose of meeting a glorious death in an arena in front of thousands. Stupid, yes, but not surprising.
But the commander stood on tenuous ground when preaching about the merits of armor, considering his relationship with it. The first piece of plating he had ever worn was an iron pauldron he had purchased while working in Etruria to protect an injured shoulder that he couldn't be bothered to let heal. Additionally, his Etrurian military uniform had been fairly scant on defensive covering, demonstrating how little fighting the Prophet actually expected from his officers, and most recently he had spent the last couple of weeks traipsing across Elibe and fighting soldiers and monsters while wearing no armor of any kind.
However, what Richter had come to acquire during that time was a sword that could keep him alive despite being skewered like a kebab, so that somewhat made up for it.
"And I wouldn't know," Richter continued, turning to face his disguised deputy commander. "I've never actually been to a fighting tournament before. Too busy fighting real battles." The Ilian ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he tried to think of at least an assumptive answer to the question. "I'd figure you fight until one of the fighters yields, since playing for hits sounds like a child's game, but who knows how these Bernese run things."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2012 1:58:20 GMT -6
Lyrt paused turning slowly on the spot and making sure there was no sign of Jya about before she moved on in her relentless search. She was sure the older woman would not leave her, to even have the thought cross through her mind filled her with shame. How could people get along if they could not even extend trust. She trusted her, she truly did after the little while she had traveled with her there was no reason to think otherwise. Without a doubt she would extend an apology to her for such thoughts as soon as she found her.
Raising a hand up to shield her weary eyes from the bright sun the young sacaen turned slowly on the spot once again making sure she had not missed a single flash of green. It had been a full day since Jya had disappeared already and her worry was endlessness ever since. Obviously she had far more experience on the road and could easily fare for herself. Somehow the thought did not reassure her in the slightest.
Her shoulders slumping momentarily from fatigue Lyrt collected herself and moved on reaching up to brush a few loose strands behind her ear. A kindly elderly woman had listed to her a few different spots that a majority of people passed through at least once a day. Not being a native she took the woman's word for it switching from the marketplace to the arena and various other areas every once in a while.
It was tiring to stand about waiting, yet with all the help that Jya had given her it was a necessary test of resolve. Yet every few moments her head drooped, crimson eyes fluttering closed only to be jerked back to her position as she stumbled loosing her balance. It gradually became harder to stay alert as the day dragged on her companions disappearance weighing heavily on her mind causing sleep to elude her.
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Post by Kenshin on Aug 29, 2012 7:12:02 GMT -6
Kenshin had closed his eyes for a few seconds, he had opened them upon speaking. "I must apologize for doing so, my presence was needed elsewhere. But word of what happened in the moments after I had left spread like wild fire across the plains, some of the people refer to you as the 'Maiden of the Blade' since you drew the sword." Kenshin looked towards Yaen and the young man he called his student, he sure did come a long way since their paths crossed outside of Bulgar many years ago. "So you trained under Yaen? You must be a fine swordsman with a teacher such as him." He then looked at Wyatt "You must feel so out of place with all these swordsmen surrounding you." Kenshin spoke with a slight chuckle.
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Wyatt
Hero
The Volcano
How can someone win if winning means that someone loses?
Posts: 463
Etruria Fame: 2
Sacae Fame: -1
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Post by Wyatt on Aug 29, 2012 9:54:18 GMT -6
Wyatt had not expected Kenshin to speak to him, or even really acknowledge him. He jumped slightly when the legend did speak to him, though he regained his composure quickly enough.
[red]"Oh, not really. I've been practicing my swordplay a little bit, though not the same style you all do."[/red] He said, half drawing the massive steel blade, and re-sheathing it. [red]"But I've been practicing against a lot of sword fighters lately. Fighting fast swordsmen used to be a real problem for me, but after wandering around on the Sacae plains and fighting plenty of them here, I think I'm getting pretty used to dealing with the speed and precision they use. Maybe inside we'll be able to see which of us grew more since the mountain."[/red] He said, throwing the glance to Yaen. It wasn't a hostile glance, but there was definitely a challenge in his gaze.
Sure he'd like to fight Mana in there as well, but he could fight her any time. Yaen, he had something to prove to him.
[red]"Oh, are you going to be competing Sir Kenshin?"[/red] He asked of the red haired legend.
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Post by Jya on Aug 29, 2012 17:10:56 GMT -6
Jya shuffled through the cloths, looking for something she felt safe wearing. For one thing she rarely changed clothes unless she was either forced to or in tatters. As she shifted through the rack, she tried to determine which would work out for her current dilemma. Her vivid grass green clothing seemed to cause far too many suspicion for one reason or another.
For an agonizing hour or so, she picked out some lighter clothing. The price was simple enough and she trusted the quality to at least last for the rest of her stay in Bern. She did pick out a band as well, finding it somewhat more comforting. She had worn one for years now and could probably list a time or two that it saved her life. She wasn't frugal though mind you, just strangely poor. She stole only what she needed and that might have made her in some ways a decent thief.
"Thank you, come again," the shopkeeper said as she tucked away the money in her new set of clothing. She was no longer weighed down by a thick layer of leather armor well thicker layer compared to the lighter one she was wearing. Even though she didn't need to change her old gloves, she did replace them with fingerless ones, finding comfort at the tips of her fingers. It would still take some time to get used to it, her boots had that new look about. Everything was clean and neat for once and that will surely last only a few days out in the wild.
Upon exiting the store, she realized something she had forgotten! What has become of her good friend Lyrt? Knowing that girl she...she might either be in a number of troubling situation or found new friends to help her do whatever she needed to in the city. She should really be looking for the girl right now. There was no sense of hurry to go to the tournament, it would be best to regroup with her friend.
She determined the best way to handle this situation is to head towards the more populated areas. Understand that Jya was no professional tracker and she mostly guessed on where her friend could be. If they are looking for each other the more the better. She is not a very outspoken person and could not bring herself to shout out her friend's name. Attention is something she hated when focused on herself. She had learned her lesson after yesterday's ordeal.
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Edrick
Shaman
Even in darkness one can devote themself to the light.
Posts: 114
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Jack of all Trades
Affinity: Light
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Post by Edrick on Aug 30, 2012 0:19:27 GMT -6
Edrick walked into the square which was brimming with people getting ready for the tournament looking over most of the people he notices that the people bigger than him are using axes or swords and he thinks *I hope I don't go up against one of them their attacks could be devastating, I hope there are more magic users than what I see here or this tournament might be harder than I thought.*
pulling his hood back over his face to block out some of the sun he starts looking around at the crowds trying to pick out which people will make more competition in the tournament and then he thinks *well looks can be deceiving I certainly don't look like a magic user aside from the cloak and tome.*
"Okay time to start looking for the end of the line to get into the arena I guess" he says and he starts to head off when he spots a girl that looks a bit unbalanced and her head keeps drooping so with his chivalrous side kicking in he walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder and says with a concerned look on his face "Are you okay miss? You aren't looking too good do you need a healer or something?"
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Isabel
Shaman
It's been far too long since I last flexed my magical muscles!
Posts: 233
Profession: Witch for Hire
Affiliation: N/A
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Izzy
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Post by Isabel on Aug 30, 2012 20:17:33 GMT -6
"Abandoned by Jya and Valorian." the shaman muttered, moving through the crowd with her head bowed low, glad for once to be a little shorter than the average person. "Abandoned by Rayl, Calvin, Aaron, Elias, Morgoth, and Tearus." She kicked up a cloud of dust as she walked, causing the people around her to glare at the cloaked figure. It was really kind of hot, and she considered removing it, but why bother? It helped to summarize her current mood of probably self-induced loneliness. Sure, there was Solomon, her black cat who was currently in her satchel that also carried her tomes and other essentials, but even a cat as awesome as her little Solly was no match for actual human interaction. Calvin especially was missed, but the shaman missed all the friends she had made on her journey thus far.
She glanced up, realizing she had been walking in circles at this point (either that or that building just looked exactly like the one she had seen earlier, down to the that broken shutter hanging off one hinge), and then sighed, moving off to the side of the path so people who actually had a destination in mind could get where they were going without a worthless practitioner of the elder arts getting in their way. She idly hummed a tune, albeit at a slower and almost mournful fashion, that Calvin had taught her on the road as she moved into the shade of a nearby building to get out of the way.
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Post by Mana on Aug 31, 2012 11:58:36 GMT -6
While Yaen was busy introducing Valcrist and Wyatt threw a challenge at Yaen before turning to Kenshin, Mana got her gaze on the Nabatan blacksmith. "Somehow, I think this man are scared of something. How strange...Who's his name again? Valcrist, I think..." she thought. Yaen's student, wasn't it? He must be a good swordman then. Anyway, all this talk about student made her wondering if Yaen and Kenshin would teach her one or two tricks later. "Valcrist, huh? You can call me Mana." A simple introduction seemed to be a good start to get to know this man further, if he didn't die after Yaen tortured him, of course.
So she had got a nickname? Mana frowned at hearing the explanation. It wasn't because she didn't like it, this was just sudden. The name sounded fancy and cool, maybe, but she wondered if drawing a sword could give someone some recognition, and earned a title too. Maybe it was having the sword that granted her such recognition, this sword belonged to a legend before her hand claimed the right to hold it, after all. "Ah...That name sounds...good, I think. By the way, I still have the sword and have been taking a good care of it since our last meeting. Don't worry, your sword is safe with me," she said to her red hero with a smile as she drew the sword to show it to its previous owner. Mana seemed to enjoy herself taking to Kenshin, she also wasn't as nervous as they first met. Although, she seemed to forget Yaen's presence, much to Kenshin's fault. "Thanks to Wyatt. He always helped me to keep it sharp. He really knows much about swords," she added.
"You must feel so out of place with all these swordsmen surrounding you."
Mana's first reaction to Kenshin's comment was glancing at Wyatt, and then the others. He was right, the red-haired blacksmith was kinda out of place with all these swordmen surrounding him, not to mention three of them were Sacaen. Funny though how these people could gathered here by coincidence. Mana couldn't help but chuckled as she thought about it.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Aug 31, 2012 21:21:23 GMT -6
Clair pursed her lips, a bit nervous. It wasn't the crowds. They ought to be unnerving. They might be later, but the Falcoknight was suddenly more concerned with meeting someone well above her skill level. She'd fought some very skilled, powerful opponents in the past, but there was always that one which she knew was better than her. She didn't know its shape or form, but she knew it existed, and always expected it.... Hopefully, the other fighters would respect a yield, if given, because of all the deaths she could imagine, dying in an arena was one of the worst. It was nearly as pointless as dying without having done what she was committed to....
The line shifted, the people in it beginning a slow shuffle forward. Just following the person in front of them. What was she doing here? This was a waste of time! She ought to be doing something more practical.... But then she focused on what the tournament here would give her. She'd be able to truly test herself in one on one combat. Presumably with less danger than a real fight, and more diverse opponents than a sparring match in the army could provide.
"I feel a little jittery.... I'll be fine by the time I'm in a match.... I'm just a little... nervous." Her voice came off a bit tighter than it usually did as she felt the wave of tension washing across her mind. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself. She knew this could be handled just the same as she handled battles in war, but it didn't feel quite the same. She knew the rules of war, and could prepare for it. She hadn't quite gotten the knack down for this yet.
Slowly, they moved forward before the line stopped again, a decent distance up from where they'd been, but still out of site of the arena.
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Aurek
Soldier
I hate the undead just a little more than I hate the living.
Posts: 122
Profession: Santa
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Post by Aurek on Sept 1, 2012 14:59:57 GMT -6
Aurek saw the line moving and decided to finally get up. Heaving on his lance, he slowly lifted himself, groaning at the effort. He pulled the hood of his cloak lower over his face and slowly trudged to the back of the line. After a bit, the line stopped moving. The distance covered was decent but the arena was still nowhere to be seen.
Ugh, this is taking too long. He took a "drink" from his bottle of alcohol and swirled the liquid in it around. Watching it spin, Aurek started getting lost in his thoughts. If only I was rich, I could pay people to do stuff for me... like leave me alone. Living in a mansion, secluded away from everyone. Just someone to make meals for me and leave them at the dinner table for me to eat in peace... Or if I was a decent fighter, I could go live in the woods. Stake my own territory and kill what I need to survive... Bah, both of those involve too much work.
Looking around, Aurek noticed several swordsmen standing around talking with one axeman in the middle of them. "I'd hate to be that guy," he muttered. "Hopefully no one bothers me during this escapade. Now, when will the fighting start...?"
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Post by Valcrist on Sept 1, 2012 17:18:03 GMT -6
Valcrist didn't respond, how could he? It was like someone stole his list of 'People Valcrist feels uncomfortable around' and was going down the checklist. If he stuck around any longer he's bound to run into Chelsea and Kelvin making out while Richter chastises him for leaving the army. That's silly, since it was impossible for Richter to possibly be in Bern, he was captured or something. So at least he didn't have to worry about that.
He looked at the other swordsman. Mana, he think she was. He had a hard time concentrating and listening with the Crimson Demon looking at him. Mana was the only one of the group who didn't make him feel like offing his self. Laughing nervously, he turned away and began to stutter out a sentence. "M-Mana. I h-have s-s-something to ask y-you. Um... Er, In p-private." He let out another nervous laugh and looked at her, his eyes desperately pleading as he mouthed the words 'Please help me'.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2012 19:55:58 GMT -6
Lyrt jumped to attention when a concerned voice startled her out of her sleepy trance a gasp breaking from her lips. A hand rested on her shoulder and she stared at it quietly unsure as it why it was there. "Ah...oh I am hearty and well, I thank you for your concern though." She broke into a kind smile and pulled away from the kind man quickly, the Sacaen scrambling off to continue her search for the dark haired assassin.
She continued to roam about idly searching the crowds for that familiar flash of green. Whenever she saw a stray barrel or crate she leaped on top of it with ease using the height as a vantage point to survey the crowds from above. Yet time was quickly slipping away from her and the slight worry of her search becoming fruitless bore in the little corners of her mind.
Taking a final sweep from her latest perch Lyrt prepared to leap back down and go on her way. Yet luck seemed to have forsaken her and her fatigue made her clumsy. Her foot twisted oddly as it connected with the earth and she spun shamefully skidding for a moment before falling forward onto her face in the dirt.
Her brother's precious sword slipped from her grasp and spun away people gasping and dodging out of the way to avoid it. It twirled seeming somehow poetic as it headed right for a blue haired girl standing aside the path. "W-watch out!" she called staring helplessly from the ground.
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