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Post by Mana on Sept 23, 2012 3:14:57 GMT -6
Mana heard some voices, they sounded like encouraging her to get up and continue the fight. Her head throbbing in pain as her consciousness returned. At least it didn't break her neck, she was quite lucky to be alive. Her eyes then opened slowly, seeing the blur image of the arena ground.
Answering the hopes and the cheers, she tried to get up while ignoring the pain her body had suffered. Maybe it was because of her friend's voice, maybe it was her willpower, she seemed to be able to shake off her injuries and continue the match. Mana tried to put some strength to her muscles as she struggled to stand straight. "What just happened?" The last thing she remembered was the kick and the pain on the back of her head. "I...kicked him...and..." It was really difficult to focus now.
"Yeah, I didn't expect that." Suddenly, Albert spoke as well. The young knight, didn't want to get more shame, pulled himself to stand up. His jaw was broken and blood coming out from his mouth, the damage also had rendered him unable to speak clearly. His condition was no better than the Sacaen girl, they both had suffered enough damage. "Maybe I should hit you harder next time," Mana remarked. Albert shrugged and let out a small chuckle. "I should have finished you sooner. You were better than I thought." He praised the girl as he drew his sword. "Now I am going to get serious. Heh, I will show you how good my swordplay is."
Mana realized that the fight hadn't ended, the real fight had just begun. "Good, I don't want it to end like that." Her eyes searched for her sword as she watched Albert unsheathing his. The girl found her sword lay on the ground not far from her, she then rushed toward it. Strangely, Albert didn't pursue her and instead waited until the Sacaen swordswoman retrieved her sword. This man had a heart of knight after all, he still had honor despite his overconfidence and boasting habit. They faced each other, weapon in hand. Although both fighters had got injured, and they couldn't fight at their best, these two shouldn't be taken lightly. Albert had enough training as a Lycian knight that made his swordplay more refined than most people and Mana had her aggressive fighting style combined with her fluid and elegant technique.
Unlike before, Mana took the initiative. She somehow had been able to forget her nervousness and started to attack. Albert was awed by Mana's speed as she closed their distance in only three seconds, the knight then welcomed her with a quick thrust which she parried successfully. Their swords finally clashed, signaling the start of the battle. The knight had to withstand a continuous assault from Mana because her attacks never stopped to come toward him. He wasn't without skill, however, he managed to trouble her with some swift counterattacks and his refined technique. The fight continued like that for a little while until both fighters leapt backward. Now, when they were standing still to recover their breath, the crowd could see how many small cuts in their bodies. Mana's cloth was torn in some places and her shoulder pad had been crushed while Albert's had a big cut in his armor and a wound in his waist. It looked like the girl had got the upper hand in this match.
"You are very good." Mana praised her opponent while breathing heavily. Her stamina was almost depleted and the throbbing pain in her head hadn't stopped. "Heh...Same for you...I has been a long time since I fought someone as fast as you." Albert seemed to acknowledged Mana as well. He looked exhausted and clutched his wound to stop the bleeding. While both of them looked almost fainted, they actually still had enough to end this match in the next blow.
"To be honest, I really want to sleep now. But I will do it after I beat you," she said confidently. Mana seemed to really enjoy this match to the point that the cheers didn't disturb her concentration anymore.
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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 23, 2012 14:26:15 GMT -6
After the two finally got up, the real battle began it seemed. Both of them are over whatever problems they had at the beginning. The fight will get very interesting now. A close entanglement of limbs and weapons made Aurek wonder who would come out on top. When the two finally separated, both had cuts all over their persons; however, Albert seemed to have more compounded damage than Mana. Plus, the man was still off his horse. With the serious turn the fight had taken, Aurek felt that if the horseman could remount, he would come out on top. Still, neither fighter particularly piqued Aurek's interest. He was content to watch the fight without cheering for either one.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Sept 23, 2012 19:04:47 GMT -6
They both started to move at about the same time. White Lion matching Maiden of the Blade. As such, it was difficult to tell whether one had the advantage over the other or not. In fact, they both looked pretty beaten down, but neither was ready to let it rest. They would finish. As truly disciplined fighters should.
"She's got some mettle in her." Clair said, standing near Wyatt. "Seems like she's gotten the lead out of her heels at last"
The two combatants clashed as a flurry of blows being exchanged. Speed and skill. The knight showed masterful efficiency of motion, now that he was truly being pressed. And yet Mana's blade appeared to be everywhere it wasn't. Each wanted to win the match and move on, but the horseman seemed to be flagging a bit, now that he'd been unhorsed. The match wouldn't be long.
As they broke apart, the fighters seemed to come to the same conclusion. The crowd roared on, oblivious or uncaring of such things.
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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 Sept 23, 2012 21:44:52 GMT -6
Wyatt howled in triumph, banged his hands against the metal bars, and was generally loud and obnoxious as Mana got back to her feat and resumed the fight.
[red]"Kick his smug ass all around the arena Mana!"[/red] He cheered, watching her press the offensive on him. [red]"You think that's good? You should see her when we spar. The girl's got some really impressive moves. I wouldn't want to fight her here."[/red] He said, smile splitting his face as he continued to watch the fight. She was really showing her style now.
She was still a bit slower then he remembered, but he imagined he would be too after a fall like that. Hmm, hope it didn't affect her next match, that wouldn't be too good. Still though, look at that blade fly. The battle was reaching it's conclusion. Mana was dazed, and this knight was bleeding pretty badly. Mana may have had the advantage, but she wasn't as durable as he was. The next hit would certainly be the deciding factor.
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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 Sept 24, 2012 3:35:25 GMT -6
"I'm surprised that either fighter got up from that fall, that could have killed them." Edrick said to no one in particular. The fighters seemed to be well matched but the "white lion" seemed to be out of his element. But on the other side, both fighters seemed to be quite injured and not able to fight at full strength. The fighter that landed the next hit would most likely take this match.
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Post by Richter Abend on Sept 24, 2012 10:09:23 GMT -6
They were banged up to be sure, but both of the fighters seemed fine enough as after a moment of conversation they soon resumed fighting. It was at this point the matched changed, and for Richter at least, it was for the better.
Far different from the girl of before, the Maiden of the Blade now moved with a purpose she had been lacking before the fall. With speed and agility she exchanged blows with the White Lion, who himself proved to be a suitable match. But as even as they seemed, the swordsgirl had the upper hand. She was faster, more nimble, and for every counterattack the knight loosed on her, she was able to respond with another two.
The change may have surprised Richter, as he had earlier far and away given this match to the knight, but he was not opposed to being proven wrong. The girl had started living up to her name, and if she was to have the victory then she should take it by force.
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Post by Valcrist on Sept 25, 2012 8:07:41 GMT -6
"There it is! There's the spirit I was talking about!" Valcrist pumped his fist, then realized how silly it must have looked and sheepishly drew it back in. He was so excited he even forgot to hide his voice, so he hoped no one had paid it much attention. Instead of worrying, he made his self content to simply watch the unfolding match. Mana finally had a chance to display her sword technique, fluid and relentless just as Valcrist anticipated. The knight she fought was skilled himself, however. Finding opportunities to strike back even in the middle of a tornado of sword slashes, and even succeeding with some of them. This was not a man of small talent, but Valcrist stood next to his original choice. Mana would win this, he knew it.
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Post by Mana on Sept 27, 2012 9:45:14 GMT -6
Both injured and exhausted, they went to same conclusion. This match should be finished with the next blow. They believed, that prolonging the battle would decrease the chance of winning and also exhaust themselves. "This will be the last," Albert muttered to himself as he readied his sword.
"Admit your defeat!" The knight charged toward the Sacaen girl, holding his sword above his head with both hands. He seemed to aim for a diagonal slash but Mana somehow felt that his true aim was something else. "What's he going to do?" she wondered. Answering an attack with another attack was her style, and she wouldn't back down when someone ran straight at her. "That's my line!" Her roar didn't lose to Albert's. The myrmidon changed her stance, spreading her legs to get better footing and holding the sword in right hand while her left moving across her chest. She then rushed to her opponent with the mixture of confidence and excitement in her eyes.
They swung their swords at the same time. But this was where Albert played his little trick. When their weapons clashed, the knight quickly adjusted his strength to be weaker than Mana's and let her sword pushed his. As expected, Mana began to lose balance because she didn't expect that Albert's resistance was so light. He skillfully took a small step backward and knocked her sword lightly to the side, leaving the girl open for a deadly counter attack. "Great!" Seeing the chance, the knight moved a big step forward and swung his sword upward. "Sorry, nothing personal..." he whispered softly, believing that this attack would finish the Maiden of Blade.
The spectators probably expected some blood would paint the arena ground. Albert smirked proudly. He saw his sword went through the girl, and he was sure that his attack connected. But that was only before he realized that the girl disappeared before him. Most normal people probably only saw it as how easy the girl dodged the attack and got behind the White Lion, but the truth was not that simple. What happened was so quick that only those with sharp sight and enough skill and experience could understand what really happened. In fact, his attack only hit the after images left by Mana's very fast movement. She sidestepped in time to dodge the vertical slash, skillfully moving around his slash and going around him. Mana's technique was something she learnt from her mother, a very fluid movement come from skillful steps. It required a light body, nice footing, and strong ankles. In her tribe, this technique was called Eagle Wings, her mother's trademark technique, which she had perfected just recently. Mana felt a little disappointed that she had to use it now, though. She wanted to hide it as long as possible in this tournament, the girl even hid it from Wyatt, practicing it secretly when the blacksmith was sleeping. Now when she was behind him and her opponent hadn't noticed it, Mana had got a plenty of time to prepare her next attack.
A strong sweep from behind then tripped the White Lion into the ground. The knight was also late to react to another kick that knocked the sword off his hand. "This is my win, Albert the Winter Lion!" Mana declared her win as she put her sword toward the Lycian knight's neck, who was forced to lie down. By the way, the look on his face was priceless, Mana struggled not to laugh and kept her cool winning pose. Albert's looked at Mana and said, "I am the WHITE Lion..." Mana finally realized she had called him with wrong title.
"..........."
"..........."
"...........Whatever, you still lose anyway..."
"And the winner is.........Mana the Maiden of Blade!!!!" The announcer's shouted, his voice was beaten by the exploding cheers, though.
After she was acknowledged as the winner, the girl let go the last bit of her strength and fell onto the knight. She was too tired to bother with the fact that this position was somewhat embarrassing, her eyes were heavy longing for the sleep she needed. "Hey...Hey...Are you alright? Hey! You....You're sleeping?" Albert was the most confused one, the girl who had just beaten him now sleeping on him. "Hahaha...I lost but somehow it didn't feel too bad...Yeah, it was really fun," he whispered to the sleeping maiden as he glanced at four arena staffs and a healer who came to help them. "Lets do it again someday, shall we?"
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Post by Richter Abend on Sept 27, 2012 13:55:45 GMT -6
Richter's face sat somewhere between amusement and frustration as the swordsgirl called Albert by the disguised Ilian's own nickname. It was funny enough that she had made the confusion, despite the fact that the two had never met before, but it was agitating that this Albert the Winter Lion was the person to whom his title was being attributed.
But of all the things to rub Richter the wrong way, this was awfully petty, especially considering the circumstances, so the Ilian let it go. Instead, he let himself be impressed by the swordsgirl's final counterattack.
Between the Lost Swordsman, the Prince of Blades, and now the Maiden of the Blade, this tournament, it seemed, was filled with speed demons. The girl had twisted around her opponent with such agility that Richter wasn't surprised that the knight had assumed his attack had connected when it hadn't. In the heat of battle such a dodge would clearly be hard to follow, and it had proven to have been the man's undoing. Disarmed and on the floor, the knight, Albert, had lost, and the girl, Mana had won.
Richter sighed. Plenty of sword users. Well, at least it would be good practice for his axe.
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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 Sept 27, 2012 20:05:41 GMT -6
Wyatt gripped the fence so hard his knuckles were turning white. He paid that no mind, as engrossed in this match as he was. The warriors clashed, and Wyatt saw the Lion give, he was feinting! Mana seemed to fall for it though, and had left herself completely vulnerable for the counter attack. His eyes shot open as he saw the brutal sword slash, and then he blinked. In an instant, Mana was behind him. The move had been so fast, so fluid, that he had no idea how she'd done it. He'd seen her move, of course, but it had been too fast for him to notice her footwork or how he body shifted to allow her to get behind him. One moment she was in front of him, the next he was swinging at air.
The crowd was silent for a brief moment in pure shock, as she then took out his leg and ended the fight there and then. And then the noise exploded. What an upset! The cheers continued for a moment more, and then Mana collapsed onto the other fighter. Wyatt nearly ran for the arena gate, but got there in time to see the healers running out. Right...healers. This was there job. She probably just fainted or something, she did lose a little blood after all.
Wyatt wiped the sweat off of his forehead, that fight seemed way more intense then even his own!
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Sept 29, 2012 7:55:19 GMT -6
The falcoknight watched as the beginning of the end started. The knight and the swordswoman charged each other, swords swinging. Clair was expecting more of a clash from the impact. Instead, she furrowed her brow, catching a flash of movement as she thought she saw Mana seeming to split briefly. The sword went through one of the images, but nothing happened and the image faded out after a moment. The second image became more clear after that happened, and coalesced into the Maiden of the Blade standing behind the swordsman. Within seconds, she kicked his feet out from under him, and kicked his weapon away. He'd been beaten.
She started a bit as she heard Mana use the title "Winter Lion". That was what Richter was known as to his soldiers.... She allowed a small smile to creep over her face a moment later as the "White Lion" corrected her. Mana seemed unphased. Probably just happy to have beaten her opponent.
"Good job, Mana! Way to show him up!" Clair let Wyatt run ahead of her towards the gate. She grinned at his excitement as she followed at a slower pace. She wanted to be able to congratulate the swordswoman herself when she woke up.
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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 29, 2012 12:47:47 GMT -6
Aurek slammed his fist against the nearest wall. [Yellow]"What is this crap!"[/Yellow] Albert had clearly stabbed the girl. It should have been a death blow. He had performed some sort of maneuver that drew Mana in for a finishing move. Yet the girl had appeared behind her opponent and disabled him. She didn't even get injured from Albert's final move. Aurek knew if he faced an opponent such as this girl, things would end very badly for him. He needed to come up with something clever...
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