Flash Point (Duman/ Orcleous)

[Orcleous]

It had been two weeks since Orlceous had left Bern. His apprentice, Xeldine, was probably still hissing back at his family farm. He had no choice though. He could not deal with her and watch himself. He had taught her the basics and he was sure she could improve on her own. To be honest thought Orcleous was simply tired of listening to her talk. She was a spit fire but a horrible conservationist. She would always complain about everything and then borrow his sword like she owned it. The hero gave off a long sigh as he walked down the road. "I need better luck picking apprentices", he spoke as he came to a old wooden bridge.

As Orcleous crossed the bridge he heard the clanking of his sword on his hip. The sound brought up old memories as his mind wondered back to his youth. Orcloeus had crossed this same bridge three times in his life. The first is when he first left Bern and came into sacae. The second is when he returned with his fool of a apprentice and the third was now. Old memories seeped into the wood as Orcleous remembered the days of his fumbling novicehood. He did not get a chance to appreciate it earlier thanks to the nagging of a certain little missy. Now however he was really breathing it in and enjoying the old memories.

Reaching to his side Orcleous touched the hilt of his silver longsword. He always had a connection to blades and the way they cut through the air. It was something that Xigshaw could never give him. A sword was so, spiritual. However Orcleous had not really fought that much with it of late. All his major battles he had been using the iron sword or his massive warhammer. Monsters and such tend to make you go all out at the beginning. "I could use some practice", spoke Orcleous to himself. It was in that moment that he noticed that there was somebody else crossing the little bridge. He barely got a look at the man, but Orcleous was sure he was a swordsmen. Drawing his silver longsword Orcleous pointed the tip of the blade toward the individual.

"Fight me", he spoke. To his great sadness however it was not a swordsmen or a soldier. It was a simply villager carrying a pack filed with vegetables. The very sight of Orcleous sword caused him to panic and slip on the mud on the bridge. Falling to the ground the man raised his hand up as a plea not to be hurt.

"Please don't I have a family", he spoke. His look of terror caused Orcleous to feel bad.

"Umm", spoke Orcleous as he placed his sword back into his sheath. "Sorry about that. I thought you where a swordsmen."

"No, no, not a swordsmen", spoke the man in a stuttering voice as he pulled himself off the ground and picked up his produce. Quickly he scurried off to get back to his village.

"Crap", spoke Orcleous as he took a seat on the wooden bridge. "Another bust", he spoke.

[Duma]

Duma sighed softly as he scratched his head through an old straw hat. The swordsman wasn't exactly fond of hats but today the sun was shining so bright he felt the need to wear one. His travel from Lycia back into Sacae had been quite hard on him. Most of his gold had been depleted through out the journey. The color his robe like garb, cloak, and boots all appeared to be dusty and faded. The hat only further complemented his look as wandering swordsman. His slightly ragged appearance, scarred face, and sword around his waist managed to deter thieves. He also noticed that it managed to deter villagers, as he constantly saw young women gradually pull their children away from his path. People seemed to avoid him along the streets. And while he was used to this sort of treatment, he seemed to be a bit more annoyed by it as of late.

He shuffled on towards the bridge that lay over the Rhine River. The bridge that both united and divided Bern from Sacae. Just a bit further and I'll be back on the plains. He thought of all the things he needed to get done back on the grasslands. He could work with a tribe while they repaired his clothes. Or he could simply live off the land until he hit Bulgar. His mind started to make a small map of places to hit along the riverside. Small villages that he had defended once before.. little villages where he would be a bit more welcome. His feet found the familiar wooden bridge and he started to make his way across.

[Orcleous]

As Orcleous sat on the bridge he stared into the water. It was going to be a long trip. He needed to get moving and stop sitting in lala land. Still he wished he had a chance to cross blades with somebody. Well somebody that had some skill. The last few brigands he fought where pathetic. Hargus had drained out all the hard core brigands when he launched his attack. The only thing left now where wanabes who thought they where tough. They where probably farmers and villagers on hard times who figured they could take some stuff from passersby. To be honest thought Orcleous wondered why banditry was so popular in Bern. Maybe it was because of the hills or something to do with there culture. Either way it was a thought for another moment. Somebody else was crossing the bridge and Orcleous needed to decided if he was going to pick a fight or simply let them ass.

As the hero stood up from the side of the bridge he noticed a sword on the hip of the swordsmen. Alright so this guy was in fact a swordsmen and not some farmer he noticed at the corner of his eye. From the looks of his clothing Orcleous could only guess he was from the plains, thought he was coming from Bern. He doubted the plainsmen would travel to the south. There was bad blood enough between the two regions thanks to Hargus and most sacaens simply stayed in the plains. So that left two possible answers. The first was that he was a sacaen mercenary and was making coin in Bern, or he was just some guy wearing the clothing. Either way he had a sword and that meant that he was a fight. whether or not he was any good depended on how often he swung his sword.

As the man approached Orcleous did a small bit of static stretches. The way he did it looked as if he was getting ready to run or head back to a nearby village. The Hero had a idea in his mind how he was going to pick a fight, but he did not want to draw swords just yet. Sacaens where known for there speed with the blade. If this guy was the real deal Orcleous would be in trouble if he showed signs of attack. The man would probably draw his sword and attack before orcleous could get his own out of his sheath. Well that happen to him the last time he faced a swordsmen of there caliber. Though that was almost a year and a half ago. Orcleous was a complete novice back then. Now however things where differently.

As Orcleous walked past the man he gave no sign of attack. He did not touch his sword not did he look toward the man's own. He simply passed by the man at first, but once he passed he reached his hand out and grabbed the back of the man's hat. With brutal strength and a quick jerk Orcleous ripped the hat off the man's head and tossed it into the water bellow. Without another word he drew his silver longsword from his hip and hit the strap on his breastplate releasing Xigshaw onto the bridge. With the massive hammer no longer on his back Orcleous could fight at full speed.

[Duma]

Duma stopped the moment his hat had been seized. He saw the old thing fall down into the water and become lost among the current. Now the sun was on his face and in his eyes. He had noticed the man on the bridge and dismissed him as a Bernese man simply contemplating life while staring out into the river. But no, he had touched his hat, and he could hear the subtle sound of a sword being drawn from it's sheath. There was a large clang as something heavy hit the bridge. Duma couldn't tell at the moment what it was he was simply staring off out towards the distance. Sacae was soo close. The hat was of no importance to him.. he could make one of his own using the grasses of the plains. But it was clear to Duma that this man wasn't going to leave Duma alone. There was another sigh. A heavier one that was loud enough to be heard by the stranger. He was in no mood for this. A mugging on a bridge? Really. His eyes followed the shadows on the bridge to judge the distance between him and the stranger that pulled his hat.

There was a silence in the air. And people who were going to pass through the bridge seemed to stop and stare. As if they could sense that something was going to happen. Or perhaps they were afraid.. after all there was a man holding up a blade in front of them. And a large majority of them were farmers or unarmed merchants. Duma cleared his mind. His hand found the hilt of his katana like steel sword. The steel sword was a stronger replacement for his old iron sword. And almost instantly he drew the blade, turned around, and struck the man's sword in a quick but strong horizontal slash in an attempt to knock the silver sword out of balance. He then took a quick half step back and braced himself for the man's counter attack.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous stared at the man for a moment. He was sure taking of his hat would entice him to a fight. However it seemed that he was wrong. It was not until he drew his blade that the man stopped and made himself ready. The fight had not even begun, but Orcleous already learned a thing about this man. He was not one for rash movements. His calmness told of that. Orcleous held his sword in front of him with both hands on the hilt. He was not sure what the man would throw at him, but he knew it would come fast.

In a flash the man crossed the distance he placed between them. His attack was swift as Orcleous expected and came from his side. Orcleous quickly shifted his stance and blocked the sword attack coming from his side. As the swords clashed Orcleous began to gauge the strength level of his opponent. He seemed more like a speed base swordsmen than power, but looks can be deceiving. The same can also be said about the first blow. Most swordsmen hold back on there first strike. That way they could give there enemy a false impression. Orcleous was not sure if this man was doing the same or simply had that amount of power. Either way he needed to counter.

As Orcleous parried the block with his sword the hero took a step forward and stabbed his blade toward the man's chest. Stabbing attacks unlike horizontal attacks had a smaller attack window, but they where far more effective and harder to parry. Orcleous had no true intention of killing the man, but he did not hold back on his assault. Holding back in a dual was a quick way to get oneself killed. Still he wondered how the man would respond to his attack.

[Duma]

Duma's face was indifferent as the stranger on the bridge came at him with a stabbing motion. Duma had faced countless of bandits, nomads, and fighters that each had their own variant of the common stabbing motion. He knew how to parry or avoid most of them to a point where it was almost automatic. He waited for a brief moment then did a quick half spin to avoid the blade and quickly struck the sword again before the stranger with dark hair could retaliate and hit his side. It was another strong strike. Again designed to try and knock the blade from his hand. It became clear to Duma that this man had some combat experience under his belt. As most rookie bandits at this point would probably run off upon fighting someone of skill.

Duma in a swift motion pushed a step forward and had his sword lifted up to follow up that horizontal slash with a vertical one. A truly skilled fighter would be able to block this oncoming strike with ease. If not well then this stranger was going to have a nice bit of sliced flesh to deal with. These strikes were to determine how skilled this man was, if he was something that the sword master can handle. If not.. well Duma could always make a run for it out towards the Sacean side of the bridge. There was no sense in getting wounded or possibly dying in this when his destination was so close.

[Orcleous]

As Orcleous stabbed forward the man did a half spin and removed his body from the path of the blade. He then moved to counter Orcleous strike was a blow of his own. Following the training he had learned from fighter Seedle Orcleous raised his sword and took a step back. This placed his body in the perfect position to block the incoming strike. If he was trying to knock the blade out of Orcleous hand he was going to have to put a lot more power behind it. Orcleous knew his basics and as a result common methods of disarming where not going to work. If he had been a less skilled man or if he had fought Orcleous a year ago it might have worked. Now battle and hardship had done its work.

As Orcleous parried the last blow his opponent struck forward with a downward vertical slash. Vertical attacks had more power and as a result Orcleous knew it would come in a lot stronger than the last. However the speed of the attack made blocking it a lot harder than the first. Pulling his sword down, almost as if he was swinging his blade to attack himself, Orcleous caught the sword on the cross of his guard. Taking the moment Orcleous took a step forward trying to press his opponent backwards.

"Better than I expected", spoke Orcleous as he pushed off the ground and retreated backwards. Up close he could take advantage of his power. However his sword was more effective near its tip. Taking the moment to try and take the initiative in the fight Orcleous charged forward and swung his sword in a vertical slash. His blade slashes across the same parallel as the hip of his opponent. In this movement he would see how strong or fast his opponent was.

[Duma]

The dark haired stranger managed to block his vertical swing with skill. He blocked the blow using the cross of his guard, then tried to push the swordsman back with force. To which Duma took to holding his ground until the stranger pushed back. It seemed that he was impressed with the swordmaster’s skill. This was enough to warrant a small.. very brief smirk from the swordsman. He had not expected to be complemented by a mere thief.

There was a quick flick of his wrist as the steel sword was gently flipped onto its opposite side. With the thicker part of the blade aiming to inflict damage onto the stranger rather than the sharper more delicate bladed end. Already the swordsman could see a small batch of chipped metal on the bladed end, the consequence of having these katana like swords slam into other swords of metal. Preservation of sharpness was one of the reasons why Duma hadn’t just pulled out his brave sword and potentially making mincemeat out of the stranger. Well that and the fact he was wearing some armor. Duma carefully started to analyze his opponent. He took note of his armor.. his stance.. his blade.. he even took note of the distances between the railings of the bridge in relation to them.

Though the green haired swordsman would not admit it.. part of him was enjoying this little match. Another part of him was still mildly annoyed at the whole situation. He took a moment to let out a few light breaths and quietly honed his focus. He dismissed his emotions. Remember.. every fight could potentially be your last.. so do not.. let your guard down. His mind repeated the words of an old mentor. The stranger then charged forward, Duma could tell by the way he positioned his arm that the stranger was going to come at him with a vertical slash. The stranger was quick, but Duma would match him.

Quickly, Duma raised his blade and twisted his wrist so the sword was on its flat end. He wedged the blunt side of his sword in between his palm and thumb of his free hand for support. Then he thrusted the flat end of the blade up so it would catch the strangers blade mid strike. There was a loud clang as both swords crashed together. He then quickly pulled his sword down quickly and thrust it back up with force. Enough to knock the sword up and allow him to sidestep away, then took a step forward, and quickly retaliate with a vertical slash aimed for the stranger’s hip.

[Orcleous]

Smart, thought Orcleous as the swordsmen brought his blade up and connected before Orcleous could gain the full force of his attack. It was a skillful move. At a full swing Orcleous had terrifying power. Years of hard labor and fearsome training had made Orcleous powerful. A full swing would not be a blow to shake off lightly, even less so for such a think blade. Blocking the attack while it was still in full motion weakened the power. His opponent however was not done yet. Taking advantage of the move the swordsmen. Letting gravity do its work he pulled his blade down making Orcleous sword go into free fall and then took advantage of Orcleous trying to readjust to strike the blade again to send it upward.

He knows his stuff, thought Orlceous as the swordsmen used the opening to side step Orcleous blade. The hero however knew what was coming next. Following his move the swordmaster would attack from his side. Orcleous however could not allow that. As the swordsmen moved to his side Orcleous took a step back and turned his hips. Swinging his longsword with one hand Orcleous was able to force a clash with his opponents blade mid flight. The swords connected in a cross shape as Orcleous horizontal swing was meet with Duman's vertical attack. As the blades clashed Orcleous gave ground a second time moving back toward the edge of the bridge. The hero felt the edge with through the soul of his feet and knew his opponent would soon try to take advantage of it.

In that brief moment Orcleous came up with a plan on how to deal with his opponent. The few clashes they had gave him enough information about the man. At mid range the swordmaster seemed to have a bit of a edge on him. This was due mainly to him being lightly armored and not being weighed down by plate armor. He could move around like a sparrow through the air. Orcleous on the other hand was not a general after all, but he still had some plate on him. His breastplate covers his chest and his gauntlets protected his hands and forearm. His legs however where expose thanks to Orcleous desire for mobility. At the very least his boots where steel toes so it stopped him from getting nails in his foot.

'Looking at the two of us I have more armor and as a result I can take the greater risk', thought Orcleous to himself. Considering his position Orcleous was going to need to be the aggressor in this situation. Rushing forward Orcleous swung his sword with the full power of his arms. In order to prevent his opponent from simply ducking under his attack Orcleous made sure that the attack was a diagnose cut. Following a line that started on his top right side and ended toward his bottom left. Using his weight Orcleous attempted to gain ground in a attempt to press the dual toward the other edge of the bridge.

[Duma]

Duma let out a bit of a sigh in between his breaths. The clash of both swords sent a bit of a shock wave through his arm. The stranger fought well. Well enough to keep him on his toes and force him to think a bit more on his movements instead of simply relying on his instincts. The stranger had plenty of armor on the top half of his body but few guards for his legs. Duma had already deduced that the stranger was strong.. as the black haired man's sword strokes were enough to rattle him a bit. But he had a feeling all that armor made him slightly unbalanced. Perhaps he could use it to his advantage. The stranger was very close to the edge of the bridge.

Perhaps.. I can push him in. Duma took a quick glance at the river. Were.. at the deepest point of the river. And the current of it seems to be strong.. probably from all the rain that had happened by the mountains. He'd sink like a stone.. or be swept away. Bah. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I did that.. By now the pair of them were about half way across the bridge, Duma took a few more paces back. He adujsted his stance a bit to be a bit more on the defensive. He'd still have to find someway to strike at the man's legs. Or perhaps find a few gaps in between his armor. For a moment he recalled the fight against that one general from Bern and now that he thought on it the stranger did look a bit like him. I am over thinking things. Focus.

The stranger charged at him. The stranger took the offensive and went to strike at the swordsman with a diagonal slice. Duma twisted his wrist lightly so the blade was again flat end up. He grabbed his sword with both hands, took a step forward, and struck at the stranger's blade with a horizontal swing. Again both blades met in a cross shape pattern. Unlike before, Duma didn't take a step back, instead he pushed forward matching the man's strength with is own. He knew the man was trying to push him off the edge. So Duma carefully rearranged his footing so that they would move closer towards the middle of the bridge if he was pushed back.

[Orcleous]

"You have skill swordsmen", spoke Orcleous to duma as he pressed forward. The two moved toward the middle of the bridge rather than the edge. This was good, Orcleous did not like the idea of sending the man to the depths. That would be a boring and pointless end. Still the fight was picking up heat. Orcleous started it to swing his blade a bit and be challenged, but killing was not his main goal. If this continued he knew one of them would not walk away from this. The hero then began to weight the life of the man and the weight of his own life. Was this bit of fun worth cutting off this man life or was it worth losing his own. Forcing a break in the clash Orlcoeus moved back toward the sacae end of the bridge.

"I think that is enough exercise for one day", spoke Orcleous as he drew his second sword. The steel blade was far shorter than his longsword and would make for a excellent blocking tool. "If you are willing to sheath your blade then I am willing to sheath mine as well." Orcleous looked at the man in the eye. Your eyes told a lot about you. Orcleous was ready to call it off, but he was not sure if his opponent wanted to now that things have heated up. A sword dual was always a life or death struggle and once some people started fighting they did not stop till somebody was dead. Not to mention Orcleous threw his hat into the river. People seemed very serious about there hats these days. One man even told him he would burn in hell just because he stepped on it. People where crazy, but then again so was Orcleous. He did just start a life or death dual just because he wanted to remember a bit of the past.

[Duma]

Another complement? Duma's face remained neutral as the pair of them continued to square off. But suddenly the stranger shifted his weight away from Duma. The stranger spoke again, claiming that this was exercise for him. Exercise? This was all just a.. duel of sport? He looked over behind the man for a moment, they were close to Sacae now. And this man had sheathed his sword. But he pulled out another one, a short sword that Duma recognized was for defending. Duma cocked his head lightly to the side and glared at the man.

"...How will I sheath my blade.. when you have one still out?" He wasn't going to sheath his blade yet. But he did lower his sword arm down towards a more neutral stance. Eventually lowering his blade enough so that the tip was close to the bridge floor.

"You.. caused an inconvenience.. on the bridge.. and the loss of my hat... for a simple duel?" His voice was mostly neutral with a light tint of angry disbelief. He supposed people fought each other for less reasons. This was certainly one of the lowest reasons for him getting into a fight. He almost felt like smacking himself in the forehead. He gave a light sigh.

"..I have no reason to fight you." He kept his gaze at towards the stranger's face. It was true, he had no reason to fight. He was close enough at the Sacean edge of the bridge to care about going another round.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous stared at the man for a moment. He was not completely sure that the man would simply let it be, but it would not bother him to test the waters. The hero sheathed his silver longsword and looked at the man. "Unfortunately we are at a bypass now", spoke the Hero as he pointed his finger past Duma. There on the other side of the bridge laid Orcleous mighty war hammer. He needed to pass the Swordmaster in order to get it. He was not completely sure the man would not draw his blade and cut him as he walked and he was completely sure that Duma did not trust him to simply let him walk by.

So rather than try and convince the man Orcleous simply walked to the other end of the bridge. It was a annoying little walk considering under normal circumstances he could just simply walk over and pick it up, but he was the one who caused the circumstances so he could not truly complain. Simply waiting Orcleous waited for the man to cross. Once he did he would go back over the bridge and grab his warhammer. However that was all speculative. It all really depended on what the man in blue would do. If he decided to strike out Orcleous wold have a much harder time on his hand.

The hero may have a calm face, but his eyes where watching. He watched the man's hips for any motion that suggest attack or his eyes for anything that looked like a target. Swordmasters where annoying thanks to there speed, but with enough preparation Orcleous could handle it. He had in fact stared down worse things in the past.

[Duma]

The stranger spoke again then walked off. Presumably, to collect the thing he had left at the other end of the bridge. Duma did not speak and simply let his eyes follow the man as he motioned to pass him. The swordsman simply stood there making no movement. A gentle breeze blew by and caused his cape to flap lightly. He kept his sword gripped tight unless the man tried anything. Once, the stranger was behind him and walking further away only then did he start to move. He felt comfortable enough to sheath his blade. He gave himself a quick once over and dusted himself off. No injuries.. or soreness anywhere. Duma didn't turn around to see where the stranger had gone. Instead, he looked forward out towards grassy plains and continued walking.

There was no need to chase after the stranger. No need to continue the battle. No need for anything really except for him to arrive at his destination. The swordsman disappeared into a crowd of other people and simply kept going on his way. He hoped that the man wouldn't follow him. He hoped that the man wouldn't cause any more disturbances on the brige. After all there were probably swordsmen out there who were better skilled then he was. Some of those men might not be as level headed and maybe simply kill the stranger if he wasn't careful. Whatever the case, Duma put this incident behind him, and focused solely on what was before him.

Duma Exits Thread.

[Orcleous]

That was a good bit of fun, thought Orcleous as he grabbed Xigshaw. He made a mental note of the swordsmen as he reattached his hammer to his back. The people who had gathered looked at him with very fearful eyes. Everyone knew that Orcleous started the fight, they just did not know why, and as soon as the fight started it suddenly stopped. The very notion puzzled some people. Others saw it as nothing more as a young swordsmen trying to show off and other saw it as simply two people fighting for the heck of it. Many of there opinions where true, but there was one thing that was completely certain, they all got out of Orcleous way as he began to walk.

As the hero left he began to think on the next destination in his journey. At them moment he was simply wondering from place to place looking for work and fighting monsters. Lycia was the big place for that and that was where his true nemesis lied. However the rumors about this new island found out at sea also caught Orcleous attention. There was also stories of a man trying to raise up a force and invade it. Now he had meet a swordsemen of some skill. He did not truly push the man so he had no way of knowing just how skilled he was, but the man had peaked his interest. Orcleous wondered if the two of them would meet again and despite the sure luck it would take he figured it would happen eventually. Though it made him wonder on just how strong that man would have become by then and how strong he was. However strength was gained only through action and Orlcoeus has spent enough time simply wondering. He was going to need to challenge himself and prepare for the things to come. Things on the dark continent where starting to heat up. The only way to survive the fire was to heat up yourself.

[Thread End]