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Post by Richter Abend on Oct 22, 2012 2:48:55 GMT -6
"Alright ladies and gentlemen it's time for the next match!"
That was Richter's cue. Getting up from his seat on a low sitting bench, the Ilian strode over to his entry gate, casually cracking his knuckles as he did so. Coming to a stop in front of the iron door, he inhaled once, deeply, before exhaling slowly. The pre-match jitters that had been present for the first round were gone, but the extra focus from his controlled breathing helped keep his mind focused and clear. If this match was anything like the first, he'd need it.
"After a spectacular victory over the Ebon Blade in his first round, Ardus the Shadow Slayer enters from the north!"
Richter barely waited for the gate to fully open before striding out of the portal, and was just as quickly met by the fast growing roar of the attending crowd. The deafening cries once again gave him a sense of purpose. After all, if so many people were watching, who was he to ruin the show?
Not waiting for his opponent to be announced, the Ilian unfastened the strap securing his weapon to his waist, and with a small flourish, brandished the well-crafted axe. It honestly didn't matter what the opponent's weapon of choice was, be it sword, lance, axe, or magic: he beat them down all the same.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Oct 23, 2012 12:17:11 GMT -6
Clair stopped maneuvering her lance around the worn torso of the practice dummy. It was nothing more than an old torn sack stuffed with a bit of straw, but it was a suitable target. She set aside her warmups for a minute and concentrated, trying to hear the announcer over the echoing drone of the pit. When she heard him referencing Ebon Blade, that was enough for her. Richter was up. Time to go watch.
She moved back towards the pit, only to see that people were already crowded closely around the edge. She could see a few points of access where she could slip into the crowd, but none went clear to the front. There was an annoyed sigh that escaped her lips as she circled, looking for a way in. Nope. No easy entrance here. Eventually, she reached the gate at the far side of where Richter had entered, and still hadn't found a spot to see from.
Nothing for it but to push her way in. She headed back to the center of the arena, and stepped in next to a man in heavy armor before trying to thread her way in.
"Excuse me.... Excuse me. Let me by." Damn it. She wasn't in a rush to get up front, but she still wanted to make her way close enough to see most of the match. It was this sort of situation that she loved Corona for. Right now, she was surrounded by fighters and warriors from everywhere and most of them had a good bit of mass on her. That was why it was good she wasn't in a hurry to get to the front. That was why she wasn't making quick progress.
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Oct 26, 2012 13:57:06 GMT -6
Alright ladies and gentlemen it's time for the next match!
Yaen looked up from his blade as the announcer's voice echoed out over the sounds of the crowd. He stood and sheathed his blade before walking towards the southern gate. The first match had been good for a warm up, no pun intended, but he wanted something with substance. He needed to hear the sound of metal clash against metal. He needed to smell the sweat and blood of the battle. He needed to feel alive.
"And, after an interesting bout with The Burning Sage, we have Yaen, The Prince of Blades!
Yaen calmly walked through the gate, out onto the battle field, again feeling the warm sand beneath his bare feet. He stared across the field to his opponent, eyes flickering with recognition. The man who defeated the rather aptly named 'Ebon Blade'. He'd pitted against a skilled swordsman with naught but that axe, and had come out victorious. The thought made Yaen's skin crawl with anticipation.
"I do not usually speak before a battle." he confessed, his right hand gripping the scabbard of his primary blade. To most, it looked like he wore his blades on the wrong side, but in reality, he was simply left handed. "But I must admit, I was hoping to face you." Using his thumb, Yaen pushed against the guard of the blade, 'unlocking' it by freeing the collar, so that he could draw it quickly. "Your fight was beautiful." he commented. "I felt more excitement simply watching you than I did in my own bout. So please, friend, I ask you, give me that excitement again." he asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he took his stance, left hand clasping the hilt of his blade. He must have sounded like a madman to this man and to those in the crowd who could hear them above the roar of the crowd, but he did not care. He needed this. This was the only thing in the world that made him truly, completely, fully happy. He spoke again, his tone changing, taking on a much darker tone. "Make me feel alive."
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 3, 2012 16:59:42 GMT -6
A battle junkie, eh? Perhaps it was the graceful, controlled way he had handled his last battle, or the fact that Richter had grown accustomed to such men being angry, crass, and wayward like he himself had once been, or simply the fact that he was a Sacaen, but it was bit unexpected. The man's words were almost...romantic. It was odd.
However, despite his apparent oddity, Yaen's eagerness for battle was undeniable, as was his skill. From what Richter had seen in his fight with the Burning Sage, the Prince of Blades, so aptly named, could utilize each and every one of his swords, which meant that while Richter was limited to his crude but sturdy hand axe, the swordsman could throw any number of attacks at varying speeds, strengths, and distances. If he wanted to keep from losing a limb, the Ilian would have to adapt on his feet.
But seeing as how he had promised Wyatt to put this man in his place, Richter was only too happy to surmount the challenge standing before him.
"Perhaps."
Lowering his body an inch closer to the ground, the Ilian's muscles tightened and tensed, drawing up the energy from within them. He could feel his pulse quicken, and his sight block out all but the blue-clad opponent before him. His hand tightened around the haft of his axe while the other balled itself into a fist, and after a moment of gathering himself together, Richter let out a guttural roar and charged down the Sacaen.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 5, 2012 13:20:40 GMT -6
Clair managed to push her way to the front just in time to see a brief standoff. It was "Ardus Shadow Slayer", and it was the one who'd gone up against the Burning Sage. Something like "Prince of Blades"? She'd seen the man fighting before. He was as swift and agile as the wind, and he had clearly handled his weapons with a familiarity born of proficiency. Having fought against a magic user though, neither she nor Richter had gotten a good view at combat style. That probably wouldn't make much difference to Richter, but it would to her.
She shouldered her way in a bit more securely and settled herself in to watch. Calder had been a skilled swordsman. This man seemed no different. She felt the tinge of worry she'd had for Richter in the first fight still there. She didn't want to seem like she was doubting him, but it was more important that he remain unhurt, as unlikely as that was going into a fighting tournament.
Alright Richter. Just watch yourself out there....
She saw him ready his axe and charge, raising his war cry as he had numerous times before. The Winter Lion hadn't earned his name by his Ilian home alone. It was his manner on the battlefield that had earned him that title.
"Go on, Slayer! Give him a few knocks from me too!"
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Nov 5, 2012 22:01:51 GMT -6
Yaen was aware that he had an advantage over the Shadow Slayer in that he had been able to observe his fighting style, while his opponent knew practically nothing about his own abilities. However, he fully expected him to be able to adapt to that. In fact, he anticipated it. He noted that the Shadow Slayer was beginning this match much like he had his last, with a direct charge.
The different possibilities ran through his head. He could meet the attack head on, use his knowledge from the last fight to his advantage. He could dodge, maybe start to wear the man down while conserving his energy. He could try to strike first, completely interrupting the Shadow Slayer's assault.
The last swordsman's attempt to match Ardus head on had not ended well for him. But Yaen was armed with that information, in addition to his two-handed sword style, which had yet to be revealed. And, to be honest, he wanted to gauge the Shadow Slayer's strength. He barely moved three steps, allowing Ardus to exert the effort of clearing the room. His sword was drawn, singing as it cleared the scabbard, and he raised it with both hands to deflect the oncoming blow.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 12, 2012 10:15:47 GMT -6
Richter had fully expected the Prince of Blades to respond defensively, but despite this made no effort to get around his opponent's defense even upon seeing the trajectory of his axe interrupted by his opponent's drawn sword. If the swordsman wanted to match arms, then so be it.
Much like how his last match had begun, the Ilian's axe resounded with colliding force as it met with Yaen's blade, and so Richter responded as he had done before. The repetition would help him size the man standing in front of him. Dropping his knee closer to the ground to lower his center of gravity, Richter heaved down on the handle of his own weapon in an attempt to drive his opponent's into the dirt. If man was worth his mettle, he'd at least be able to escape as the Ebon Blade had done.
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Nov 13, 2012 0:14:34 GMT -6
Yaen's feet dug into the sand, the clash of their weapons trembling down into his arms. As expected, Ardus could deliver quite the staggering blow. The physical differences between the men were obvious enough, himself lacking the sheer girth of his opponent's arms. He could not defeat Ardus in a direct show of force, but then, when had he ever tried that method?
Ardus began to lean into the struggle, bringing his weight down upon his axe. Yaen's arms were beginning to buckle, and he knew he could not maintain this struggle. Still, he also knew that Ardus would be prepared for him to escape and attempt a counter. He needed to stop this repetition of the last battle.
Yaen began to shift towards the left, his blade sliding along the axe. The blade sang as it cleared beneath the axe's crescent, and Yaen shifted again, his left foot sliding towards Ardus. He reached out with his right hand, for the shaft of the axe, as he brought himself in, ramming the flat pommel of his blade towards the Shadow Slayer's face.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 14, 2012 11:00:48 GMT -6
The blond-haired Ilian watched as the axe came down. And down. And down. The prince of blades did nothing to avoid it. He was going to take the blow head on? One brow raised slightly as she waited to see the outcome. Did Yaen hav th ability to match the Ilian hero for power? She didn't think so, and she generally considered it a bad idea to risk it. He wouldn't stick with that plan long, regardless.
She wasn't surprised when the axe smashed down the swordsman's weapon. Or when Richer began levering it down even further. She watched in silence amidst the noise as the swordsman tried to slip to the side, reaching with one arm towards the axe handle, while countering with the other hand.
She kept busy by studying the fight, trying to figure the Prince of Blades' approach. He was waiting to the last second, his grapples designed to limit motion and reaction time. Then he'd take a swipe at his opponent. Such was what he'd done so far. It was a dangerous game to play, but it was dangerous for more than him. The swordsman was anticipating a last minute attack, while an opponent would be focusing on nailing the hit, or recovering.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 15, 2012 21:49:15 GMT -6
Only a mere second after watching the blue robed swordsman disappear from under his axe did Richter feel his axe pushed aside as his face was struck by the pommel of his opponent's sword. As expected, Yaen was fast, but barely seconds in was already proving to be more aggressive than Calder had hoped to have been. This could get rough.
The shock from the strike surprised Richter, but the Ilian did not allow himself to be stalled for long. Realizing there was little he could do from his current, compromised position, Richter took a step back. Yaen had capitalized on their extended encounter, and had turned the losing brute force battle into a win with a very limited motion. That meant Richter was going to have focus on getting in and out with quick, well-aimed attacks. He had the strength advantage, but he didn't want to waste it by tiring himself out over one too many missed swings.
Taking this into account, the disguised commander stepped back in, aiming a low kick at the swordsman's shin before quickly jabbing at the man's chest with the head of his axe.
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Nov 16, 2012 0:02:49 GMT -6
The feel of his hilt smashing into Ardus's face was strangely satisfying. As soon as he felt the axeman's weight begin to shift backwards, he released the axe. He did not want to lose his balance. For as much as Ardus had acknowledged his speed in that short moment, Yaen had acknowledged his strength. He had the advantage of mobility, even with the heavy blade strapped to his back weighing him down, but Ardus was clearly the stronger of them. One mistake could mean the entire battle.
Ardus seemed to understand that. Yaen literally skipped a few inches back to avoid the kick, and as the axe was jabbed at him like a blunt club, he had to bring up his blade to block. At first, the back end of the curved sword struck the axe, but fortunately, his wrist moved off pure muscle memory to flip it so that it now lay against the axe with it's side, other wise he would have just butchered himself. The colliding force was slowed, but Ardus' great strength was still enough to cause Yaen to teeter back.
Perhaps he had been wrong, as far as his opponents mobility. Yes, he was still more agile than Ardus, but he admittedly had underestimated his opponents speed, if only by a little. It seemed the infernal blade on his back would have to go after all. Yaen sheathed his blade, reaching back for the heavy sword slung across his back. He drew the heavy weapon and held it in front of himself in a manner that left the flat of the blade facing him and Ardus, as if he were using it as an improvised shield.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 18, 2012 13:28:04 GMT -6
Yaen sheathed his weapon, and Richter was surprised when the Sacaen drew his heavier, two-handed sword. He had indeed deflected Richter's jab, but the even the Ilian had noticed that it had not been done so without difficulty. A two-handed sword would allow Yaen to not only use the strength of both his arms, but apply more force into each one of his strikes due to the blade's extra length.
Richter, on the other hand, although no doubt possessing the advantage in a two-handed sword fight, could not draw his own. He wore the blade for protection, not for tournament fighting. Not only that, but he had made a promise to Wyatt, so instead of drawing another weapon himself, Richter merely twirled his axe in his hand, before lunging at the Sacaen standing before him.
From what it looked like, his opponent was using the weapon as a shield, so Richter's first task was to get around it. Using his own weapon as a hook, the Ilian attempted to lock the beard of his axe blade around the edge of Yaen's two-handed sword and wrench it out of the way.
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Nov 18, 2012 14:16:45 GMT -6
Yaen watched Ardus around the edge of his blade. He did not draw his own sword in retaliation, instead opting to continue using his axe. Perhaps he used it the same way Yaen used his own two handed blade, as a shield for his back, rather than a weapon to be held. Of course, the only time it would be useful would be if one showed his back to the other, and Yaen had no intentions to do that.
Yaen dropped his right hand even before Ardus' axe hooked into his blade, and he simply released it when his opponent tried to wrench it away. His right hand had gone to his left side, towards his smaller blade, and as the barrier of steel between them was removed, he freed it from the scabbard, simultaneously slashing at Ardus while at the same time backing away. His left hand then went down to redraw the longer blade at his right side.
He could feel his heart pounding, a bead of sweat working down the side of his face. And while his face remained stone, his eyes were burning with excitement and battle-lust. This was it. This was what he had been asking for. This feeling of savage bliss. He was finally happy. He finally felt alive.
"Can you hear it?" he asked softly. "That music on the wind?" The statement was crazy, but then, perhaps he himself was a little crazy. He could hear it, that beautiful tune that played only for him. The blades in his hands, they were his pen, and Ardus, he was the paper on which he would write his symphony. Yaen brought himself back into the close fray they had fought in, the dust kicking up around his bare feet as he slid across the warm sands. He brought his left hand blade across, a vertical slash, his right hand blade going beneath it, a straight thrust.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 18, 2012 20:34:14 GMT -6
As Yaen's heavy blade fell harmlessly into the sand, the Sacaen swordsman drew a small blade from the left side of his waist and used it to counterattack Richter. The Ilian was admittedly surprised by his opponent's willingness to relinquish his larger weapon, as he expected the swordsman to actually utilize it, but wasn't about to let a couple of odd moves to slow him down.
Richter ducked out of the way of Yaen's upward slice, letting the sword whistle past his ear no more than a hair's breadth away, and watched as the Sacaen retreated once again while drawing his second blade. One sword, one bigger sword, now two swords. It was like the man couldn't make up his mind.
"I don't hear anything," came Richter's brusque reply as he reset his stance, turning right shoulder first towards Yaen. There was barely more than two feet between them, but it felt like ten. Just approaching the Prince of Blades wasn't enough. The man had the agility of a cat, and moved with the swiftness of lighting. Getting through his defense would be tough, but Richter was up to the challenge.
And then, suddenly, Yaen began his approach. Cutting horizontally with his smaller blade, the Sacaen tagged Richter's breastplate with the tip of his weapon as the Ilian back-stepped to evade, before assaulting the the Ilian with a straight thrust to the midsection. Richter deflected the bow with an outward swing of his axe, knocking the sword aside, before lunging into the Sacaen's zone of control and thrusting a fist at the man's solarplexis.
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Yaen
Swordmaster
Prince of Blades Mad Swordsman
Now let's play the Song of Swords.
Posts: 305
Sacae Fame: 2
Bern Fame: 3
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: Vagabond
Affinity: Thunder
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Post by Yaen on Nov 18, 2012 21:26:27 GMT -6
Yaen had never intended to really use his Wyrm Slayer, truth be told. It had served as a distraction, however, and so it served it's purpose. The Shadow Slayer was still able to avoid injury, however, his blade merely leaving it's mark on his breast plate, and his thrust parried by the axe. Ardus took advantage of their close range, and moved in to punch him with his free hand.
His fist planted firmly into Yaen's stomach. The Sacaen keeled over onto Ardus arms, both blades falling from his hands as the air in his lungs was forcefully expelled. He coughed violently, actually placing his hands on Ardus's arm to help keep balance. His three blades were all disarmed. Yaen looked up at Ardus with half lidded eyes, breathing shakily through his open mouth. His left hand went to his stomach. "Well done..." he praised. His hand went into the slit of his robe. He seized the hilt of his hidden Wo Dao, and unsheathed it, quickly thrusting towards Ardus.
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