Mana (Round One) FINISHED

[Mana]

Mana had never felt this kind of pressure before. She couldn't understand, no one had asked her to do magnificent feat, no one had told her to win, it was only the the cheers but it had made her nervous. This wasn't good, even the person who was tasked to accompany her to the waiting area could feel how nervous the girl was.

She gripped the sword she would use in this fight tightly. For some reason the administators of this tournament decided to make the contestants use the weapons they provided. Maybe it was supposed to let them compete with only their skills, without relying to their weapon's strength. It was a good thought, the match would be more fair.

"Hey, it's your turn next."

Mana wasn't sure if she was awake when she walked to the north gate. That person then told her to wait here while the announcer burned the spectators' enthusiasm.

"Everyone! For the next battle we'll have a brave knight from Lycia! Clad in his silver armor! His lance has tasted many victories! Albert the White Lion!" The crowd cheered when a young man appeared from the gate, bringing a lance in his right hand, raised toward the crowd while showing his enormous confidence. He winked to some female spectators when he passed them, it seemed this guy liked being the center of attention. "Watch me, ladies!" he said.

As the cheer fade out, the annoucer looked at his list. "Oh, we are going to have a nice show today! His opponent is a warrior from Sacae. Her sword carries great skill we are going to enjoy! She strikes her opponent with unwavering pride! Mana the Maiden of Blade!" Another wave of cheer engulfed the arena. "It's time..." Mana felt her feet moving heavier than usual. The girl braced herself as she entered the arena, feeling uneasy because of the attention she was getting. She could barely concentrate in this condition. She tried to shut herself from the cheers, tried to ignore the crowd, but it wasn't as easy as she thought.

"Begin!" That was the last word she could hear clearly before the cheer exploded once again. Her opponent raised his lance and started circling his opponent while Mana stayed in her place holding her sword with both hands. People who knew Mana well would feel strange watching her stand still because she usually seized the innitiative and attacked first. Albert noticed that his opponent acted strange and then decided to make the first attack his. The sound of his horse footsteps almost beat the loud cheer as Albert charged with his spear already aimed toward the Sacaen girl. He wasn't going to give her any mercy, this was an arena, a battlefield, she should have prepared.

Mana raised her sword and used it as a shield to deflect the spear, changing its course. But this attack was only a "greeting". The next attacks came like a rain, the combination of slashes and thrusts forced Mana into defense. Exhausted by the consecutive attacks, she leapt backward to put some distance between them and regained her breath.

She expected Albert to pursue her but the Lycian cavalier didn't and only looked at her with disappointed look. "Hey, are you really here to fight?" he asked.

[Aurek]

As Aurek watched the first exchange of blows between the Sacaean swordswoman and the cavalier, he figured the girl just wasn't up for the fight, much like he felt. She exhibited great skill for blocking all the lance thrusts though. Aurek felt as though he would have been crushed in a moment if he fought a mounted warrior. The cavalier irked him however. He was a braggart and showoff. The kind of person that never shuts his mouth. Which was something Aurek found very annoying, and annoying things were not tolerated. Silently, he hoped the Maiden of the Blade would decapitate this White Lion.

[Kenshin]

When the announcer had called out Mana's name Kenshin stood on his feet whistling and cheering. They boy who sat next to him had done the same. He had asked if Mana was his student, he shook his head "No, I had recently met her. People back home had referred to her as 'Maiden of the Blade' for a reason, she now owns one of my old blades." the boy had began to boo by time the cowardly lion had began his attack.

[Tuatara 'Tut' Yamen]

"GO MANA!!!" Tuatara yelled, cheering for his new friend. Well, they were sorta friends. "IF YOU BEAT HIM YOU CAN SAY YOU SLAYED A LION!!!" Hehe, now for some fun.

"Zach, come over here!" Tuatara said, motioning to his lovely assistant. "You've gotta see this- Zach?" He turned to see his assistant talking with the guards. "We've no time for them, come on! My new friend is kicking this cavaliers butt!" He ran over and dragged Zach over. "See? Oh, and tell the guards your my personal doctor and that I have health problems." He coughed a few times for effect.

[Valcrist]

Well it seemed that this crowd favored Mana, kind of cool. She must be a hit with the crowd, for whatever reason. Not that he could blame them, it was rather exciting to see Mana strut out to the battlefield, somewhat nervous looking. Even at this distance Valcrist could feel it, he was an expert at being nervous and awkward after all. She was using a different weapon then he had seen her with earlier, which was a bit unfortunate. He kind of wanted to see that weapon, he had a weird feeling about it. The hilt looked really familiar for some reason, he must of worked on weapons designed like it before.

Still, even with all the cheers, one more cannot hurt. "Go Mana!" She was the clear underdog here, her oponent had many advantages. A well trained lance, a horse underneath him that only made him quicker, he was a mounted soldier and infantry had a hard time dealing with such a thing. She would need a large, strong weapon to demount him easily, but that blade was neither large nor particularly heavy. He believed in her all the same, this was going to be an incredible battle. His attacks came like a rain of spears, his horse dealing with the heavy work and all of his attacks coming from an angle. A spear had the advantage in range, and his horse gave him leverage and a speed advantage as well. Even the swiftest man cannot outrun a horse moving at full tilt.

Still, even with every possible advantage, Valcrist KNEW she would win. If only because this man lacked the sheer spirit Mana had. The swordsman didn't look at battles like the normal person, who has an advantage and who was most likely to win. He followed his gut, his instincts. In a way, battle was the same as creating art. "You can do it! Show me your Sacaen spirit!"

[Wyatt]

Wyatt cheered as loud as his lungs would permit when Mana took the field, earning him quite a few odd stares. He didn't care, as he encouraged his friend and sparring partner.

[red]"You can do it Mana! Show them all just how skilled you are!"[/red] He called, as she'd just finished dodging the cavalier's lance. Wyatt heard someone else cheering, and turned to look. The Lost Swordsman? Did he know her? Well no, of course he didn't. Her name had been given, and she was very obviously Sacaen. Yeah, that made perfect sense.

[red]"Don't rush![/red]" He shouted out to her. [red]"Just find your time! You can do it!"[/red] He cheered, more like a bellow then what anyone else was doing.

This was pretty exciting, even not in the ring. Thankfully, her stage fright didn't seem to be coming to bare.

[Clair Feldsky]

Clair watched as Mana and Albert went at it. The horseman was really laying the pressure on, and the Sacaen woman seemed off her game. She wasn't moving. Clair hardly knew her, but she was a friend of Wyatt, and that was enough for her to root for Mana.

"C'mon Mana! Get those feet moving! Move that blade!" Clair shouted out from the walls, clapping her hands a few times as she watched.

"She needs to get moving. A horseman will always try to maneuver to control the battlefield. That's what she can't afford to give him." It was hard to out maneuver cavalry. Almost hopeless really. Clair had first hand experience in both pressing and sideslipping danger, and if Mana couldn't get herself moving, she'd get run rough shod over.

[Mana]

"I can't feel your spirit to defeat me, your eyes shows your doubt, and your fear. Are you scared to fight me? Pathetic, I thought you would be a worthy opponent." The knight started his annoying lecture as he kept his eyes on the Sacaen girl.

Mana couldn't counter his words although her anger demanded her to punch this man. "If, if only I can make this strange feeling disappear," she thought, clutching her chest. Mana hadn't been able to recover from her stage fright. Her body didn't move according to her will, it hindered her from using her real ability. "The voices, please stop..." Like betraying her hope, the cheers got louder and louder. She tried to concentrate only to her opponent but her mind couldn't simply ignore the crowd around them. While the knight was busy rambling, Mana tried to calm her mind. "Focus to my opponent, that's what Wyatt said." She narrowed her sight and focused only to Albert.

"Pity it has to end like this. You're not fun at all." After saying that, Albert suddenly spurred his horse toward Mana as he held his spear with this right hand. Many people held their breath or covered their eyes when they watched the scene. Some shouted to Mana, telling her to move. But Mana still stayed in where she stood, like waiting the horseman to crush her smaller body. Time seemed to stop when the distance between them drawing closer. "Don't worry. I'll only knock you unconscious!" Albert shouted.

"That's not necessary..." A faint whisper escaped Mana's lips.

Mana put her battle stance, both feet firm on the ground and slightly bending her body forward, the sword in her right hand was pointed toward the White Lion. This sudden change startled the knight a bit but he quickly regained his composure and continued his charge. It was a scary scene to watch, she would be either hit by the spear or smashed by the horse charge if she failed to avoid the attack. Killing or injuring the horse might be an option here but not something Mana would do. She considered it as a cowardly act because her opponent wasn't the horse but the rider.

The spear pierced the air with great speed. Unfortunately for Albert, Mana could read his arm movement and predicted his attack course. Mana dashed to his left side after successfully avoiding the spear and the horse, she then swung her sword to Albert. "Huh? What's with this sudden change?" Albert made a surprised face as he released his grip on the rein and the extended his hand to catch Mana's wrist before her sword could reach him. It was bad for Mana as the knight gripped her wrist while the horse was still running, the Sacaen girl got herself dragged and struggled to keep her footing. "Hey! Why don't you just surrender now?" Albert laughed at her. "How could this happen? I should have been more careful!" Mana tried to release her wrist from his grip but the man added more strength to it. "Stop it. It's futile. Just say "I give up" before I drag you to death, Mana."

He was telling her to give up? This hurt her pride, how could she give up? She hated defeat more than anything else. "Like hell I will!" Mana recklessly grabbed the saddle with her free hand and kicked the ground. She used the saddle as a pivot and the power coming from the horse speed to pull herself toward the cocky knight. Albert didn't expect this acrobatic move so he couldn't react at all. "STOP THAT ANNOYING SMILE OF YOURS!!!" Mana yelled as she kicked the man very hard at his chin. Although her attack did connect, she never considered the outcome would be bad for her too. As Albert lost his balance and started to fall off his horse, Mana followed. Both hit the ground hard. Their bodies rolled on the dust after the impact.

"Oh, that must be hurt! But what a nice counter attack from The Maiden of Blade. Even the White Lion couldn't predict something like that."

The crow cheered again, somewhat even louder than before. Some was excited by the stunt Mana had pulled. However, as the cheers was gradually stopping, both contestants still lay on the ground, not moving.

"Huh? Are they...fainted?"

[Richter Abend]

Richter looked on silently as the fighters around him cheered for this "Maiden of the Blade". An auspicious title, to be sure; not one he would expect from a girl of her size and age. And as the fight began, the disguised rebel commander found himself questioning its accurateness.

Her opponent, a horseman, was some pompous half-wit named Albert, whose title came annoying close to the one Richter held among his own men. He initiated the battle and immediately attempted to gain the upper hand with a fairly standard charge. While lacking agility in both weapon and steed, the knight had the advantage in speed, impetus, and spacing, so a basic forward attack was just what he needed to accentuate his advantages. If the girl didn't know how to respond, she would be impaled and the fight would end quite quickly.

But in a deft display of skill, Mana used her sword to deflect the weapon, rather than taking the strike head on, and mitigated most of its force by redirecting it away from her. A good response from someone largely at a disadvantage, but she failed to act upon it.

The knight quickly took advantage of her defensiveness, and followed up with a flurry of strikes. The girl fought back, parrying and dodging the blows well, but after the extended attack was eventually forced away. Looks like Albert had won that exchange.

The White Lion then began to taunt the girl, an act which Richter frowned upon. Exchanging insults with an equal was one thing, but picking on a girl who was currently clutching her chest in what looked like fear just painted the man an ass, which the Ilian suspected he probably was. Richter couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, as she seemed far out of her league.

A midst the insults, however, the Maiden of the Blade seemed to gather a certain focus which had noticeably been absent up until now. As her facial expression changed from worried to confident, Richter could see her fingers tighten around her sword and her stance solidify. The commander rubbed his beard in interest at the development.

Perhaps there was more to this "Maiden of the Blade". The White Lion, seemingly unnerved by the change in attitude, once again began his attack. He charged once again at the swordsgirl, but once again she evaded, this time stepping around the strike and responding with her own. It was a near hit, but the knight was faster. With a twist, he grabbed the girl's sword arm and began dragging her along the ground. Richter cringed. This wasn't going to end well, was it?

But as the arrogant knight resumed taunting the girl, he was met with a fierce yell and a swift heel, one which managed to send them both tumbling off of the cantering horse.

Richter looked on as the two bodies remained on the ground, neither making a move. While part of him assumed they had fallen unconscious, something in the back of his head feared the worst. A fall like that, if landed wrong, could kill someone. For the sake of the girl, he hoped he was wrong.

[Valcrist]

Valcrist covered his already covered mouth, stifling the gasp that erupt from his chest. Mana looked like she was having a hard time, something Valcrist could relate to. The pure pressure of the crowd, the countless eyes staring at her, it could crush a weak person alone. The only way Valcrist could deal with it was with this bogus persona, but Mana didn't have that luxury. She even had an incredible title building her up, it must of been suffocating. He felt like an ass, he didn't help with his cheering for her. Still he believed in her, if he couldn't believe in her how could he believe in his self?

She was at a huge disadvantage, but Valcrist knew from experience that disadvantages meant nothing if you had the spirit and skill to handle it. It looked grim, the man grabbed Mana by the wrist and dragged her along the ground like she was some badly fastened luggage. It was painful to even watch, but he didn't look away. That arrogant man, he felt nothing but hatred.

Mana could do this, he knew it. "COME ON MANA, GET UP!" He shouted as loud as he could, but his voice being drowned out by the crowd itself with it's ceaseless talking about what just happened. "DON'T GIVE UP!"

[Wyatt]

Wyatt snarled as this Lion belittled her, and his snarl only intensified as he dragged her across the ground as if he was showing off a fresh kill. His fists balled in rage as he watched this, but he knew...somewhere deep inside her knew she could take a lot more punishment then this. And his faith was rewarded, as Mana showed how dexterous and agile she was, knocking him from his mouth with an incredibly acrobatic strike. The two tumbled to the ground, and Wyatt winced as they did. That was a pretty heavy blow, it would have disoriented any fighter, and possibly killed a few. Everything was silent for a few moments, and Wyatt felt a tinge of worry as he looked at both of the fighters, not moving. His lungs took a sharp intake of air, as his bellow pierced the arena with a roar that could actually be made out above the din.

[red]"Get up Hawkeye!"[/red] He shouted to her, sounding more like a command then encouragement. He pounded against the bars, and cheers started to erupt from the crowd. Encouraging one, or both, of the fighters to rise.

Who it would be, only time would tell.

[Kenshin]

Kenshin had watched in confusion, Mana had just stood there doing nothing when the stories he heard she took down some thugs along Wyatt's side at the shrine. Would the people who gave her that name have done so if it was really Wyatt that had done the fighting? Kenshin had figured the spirits wouldn't pick just anybody to draw that blade so it could be she didn't know how to fight somebody on a horse? He placed his hands around his mouth and began to shout "CUT THE DAMN HORSE DOWN!" with the roar of the crowd he was unsure if she had heard him but those around him sure did which drew looks of horror from the people, they all thought the same thing 'Did he just suggest killing the horse?'

Kenshin hadn't been too fond of 'friendly fights' for a while, when he took up his blade it was a fight to the death where allowing the horse to live could cost him his own life. Kenshin's heart stopped for a moment when he began to drag Mana, he was happy to see her attempt to kick him but worried the moment they both hit the ground. Everybody in the crowd was on their feet almost silent waiting to see what happened next, the two fighters laid there with their chest rising and dropping as the only movement. Kenshin nudged his new 'friend' and the two had began to get a Mana chant going, they had some success at the start with others joining them, after a little bit there was a low roar above the normal crowd banter chanting Mana's name. Some people joined because they recognized Kenshin, others was impressed with her turn around, and some wanted to join the "cool" crowd.

[Clair Feldsky]

Clair watched in relief as the Sacaen swordswoman pulled herself together. It had looked a little unsure for awhile there. She hadn't been moving fast enough. Her responses had been weak and jerky.... Now that had changed though. She'd found her footing, and was making use of it at last.

Clair winced as the horseman merely grabbed Mana by the wrist and dragged her along behind him. She had managed to slip past his attack to an advantageous position, only for him to still take out fight her. Turning it into a grappling match from horseback was a little unorthodox, but it was easy to tell who held the advantage.

That was why the kick Mana pulled off came as such a surprise. She'd launched herself up onto the mount and somehow knocked the rider clear of his steed! He was still hanging onto her, so this caused them both to crash. It wasn't without its negatives then, but actually managing to unhorse a knight was something to be proud of. It was also a game changer.

The blond haired Ilian held her breath as she waited for them to rise.... They weren't moving. That wasn't a good sign. She turned her head and glanced over to where Wyatt was shouting from, a bit surprised by his vehemence. He was right though. She ought to be cheering for their champion.

"C'mon Mana! Don't let that Sacaen spirit lay in the dirt!" Honestly, Clair wasn't a fan of sacaens in general, due to some bad experiences in the past. It had seemed like it might help her up though. At least, if she could hear it over all these people, which she probably couldn't.

[Tuatara 'Tut' Yamen]

"Get up Mana! Kill the Lion, slay it!" Tuatara called out. Neither were moving. I must admit, she has earned my respect with those acrobatics. Not for the faint of heart mind you, no sirree. And now sir Lion has been knocked of his high horse. Serves him right, treating someone like that. He has been weighed, he has been- meh, what am I saying, he got his butt kicked and that is that.

"WHOO! Hurry, get up, the suspense is killing us. No, really, I think the old guy might be a gonner soon," Tuatara said, motioning to the bearded guy nearby.

[Aurek]

Aurek knew this Mana girl had guts. She probably didn't think everything through, but she had guts. Then again, it was a fight and there wasn't exactly a lot of time to plan ahead. Still, kicking a guy in the face? Who's on horseback? Either he drops you and leaves you rolling in the dirt or... what had happened. Both would have resulted in rolling in the dirt. It was lucky though. It seemed both fighters were temporarily out of the fight. Aurek didn't remember there being any possibility of a draw so whoever got up first would be the victor. It was a race against time and a test of recovery ability. Lame.