Battle (closed to Dehkan)

[Andromeda]

Here it is, an i have no idea what to do after this.

[Dehkan]

Ok. Here we go.

Dehkan stepped through the portal, created by his planeswalker ability. Destination, Althanas, a world that he hasn't visited in a long time, but to him, it was only yesterday. Planeswalking was a unique power that allows travel between two worlds instantly. Exact destination on the target world is difficult. He was visiting a place he calls Mechas, a planet inhabited by machines. Dehkan has no success conversing with these creatures.

Dehkan recognised the landscape immediatly upon his arrival to Althanas. Scara Brae, in the middle of a vast wheat field. The grass stood about waist-high to the 6 foot man, and the midday sun seemed to make the field glow gold. Beautiful, He thought, I've never been here before. He took a look around. The gentle breeze blew his long hair around his face, brushing against his black armor. He remembered the armor. Black iron breastplate with a red symbol of a tilted hourglass embedded into the chest. It was acquired in Mechas, an unspoken gift from the creatures offered as a token of friendship. Along with it was the longsword by his side. He always suspected that the black iron has some special quality, but until the success of interacting with the machines, he would have to wait.

To the east of the field, about 100 yards away, stood a forest. Dehkan observed the trees from a distance, referring to the tomes of plant and forestry knowledge he had absorbed over the years. Newly planted. About 200 years ago. Mostly pine. From the look of the area, the forest was about the same size as the field in which the scholar now stood, about 50 square miles. From a southern direction, however, came the sound of people, carried by the wind. Time to interact. thought the man, as he started walking.

[Andromeda]

Andromeda saw a man suddenly appear from a swirling tornadoe of energy, and became curious. Who was this man, what was that strange ability he had used, and was he a threat to the people of her forest. As she was thinking this over, the man began to walk away, as if finished with his contemplation. She noticed that he was headed twords the town. It was now or never, she decided, and jumped up from her vantage point in the forest brush. She jogged up to the road, hopeing to fall behind him and catch him by surprise. She did this to no avail, though, for just before she reached the road, she stepped on a fallen branch, and it snapped, loudly. her foreward motion ceased as the stranger whipped around, and she drew her katana, saying after that, "who are you and what business do you have here? I guard these woods, and if you try to harm them, you will have my wrath to face. Now speak!"

[Dehkan]

Dehkan stopped, a bit surprised at the sudden noise behind him. Standing near the barely visible trail he had left behind him in the grass was a creature. Female, a sort of fox-human hybrid. Anthro Fox. He recognised the race. I thought they were extinct. Hmm. He turned completly to face the newcomer.

'Who are you and what business do you have here? I guard these woods, and if you try to harm them, you will have my wrath to face. Now speak!' The woman roared. Dehkan looked around him, a bit confused. Surely she couldn't be talking to him, could she? "I'm sorry, young Anthro Fox. I am not heading into your forest. Are you talking to me?" He gasped, noticing her drawn sword. A katana. A heavy weapon for a fox. She must be strong. He slowly placed his hand on his sword, by his left side.

Queitly, Dehkan prayed to the gods who had granted him his many gifts, although those god were long gone from this world. I cannot let this creature kill me. I still have a job to do. thought the man, I must absorb all the history and writings this universe has to offer and give it to my gods once they return. He raised his head to the woman, shouting against the wind, which had picked up. "I am Dehkan, scribe of the gods, walking this vast universe for over five thousand years! I know for a fact that the oldest Anthro Fox, like you, only lived for 213 years. You are a child to me. Pray you lower your weapon so we can resolve this small matter!" Dehkan listened for her reply, and hoped it would be a favorable one.

[Andromeda]

Andy watched as the stranger slowly moved his hand to grip his sword. As the wind picked up, she called out in a low and meanacing voice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. you'd be better off dropping your sword at your feet. Rest assured, though, no harm will come to you while unarmed unless you provoke me."
The man seemed not to have noticed her command though, and instead of complying, she heard the strange man, yelling over the now howling wind, call out "I am Dehkan, scribe of the gods, walking this vast universe for over five thousand years! I know for a fact that the oldest Anthro Fox, like you, only lived for 213 years. You are a child to me. Pray you lower your weapon so we can resolve this small matter!"
"So he was employed by the gods, eh," she thought. If this was true, then he should come as no threat to her or the forest folk. She deemed him, pausing for a second in her thoughts, trying to remember a word long unused in her vocabulary since the winter her parents were killed. Aha, that was it, an ally.
With lightning-like speed, she sheathed her Katana, and raised her hand for a handshake.
"Greetings, Dehkan, scribe of the gods, I am Andromeda Lorenthia, Guardian and Protector of all forest folk. It seems to me that you have found a new ally."
Dehkan reached out his hand and took hers, and they exchanged a freindly handshake. After the introductions, Andy said "My work in this forest is complete, and I am afraid i am of no further use here. May I acompany you in your travels?"
Dehkan looked curious for a few seconds, and then replied "...

[Dehkan]

Dehkan shook her hand. Warm, compared to travelling the vast coldness of the void. This is the first physical contact he has experienced since his ascendance. It almost pained him to think on it, so he pushed the thought aside.

"Greetings, Dehkan, scribe of the gods, I am Andromeda Lorenthia, Guardian and Protector of all forest folk. It seems to me that you have found a new ally. My work in this forest is complete, and I am afraid i am of no further use here. May I acompany you in your travels?" The woman had said. Honorable, as most Anthro Foxes are. Dehkan thought, intrigued at the possiblity of learning of a race he thought was extinct, but should he tear her away from where she is safe?

Dehkan remembered the last Anthro Fox he met. His last visit to Althanas, over 2,000 years ago, he met Leonadas Archer, the young chief of the Fox tribe. His people were beset with a virus, one that was fatal to his people. Dehkan imparted his knowledge to the salve-makers for a cure and a way to grant immunity to the descendants of the tribe. Dehkan has had to say many good-byes over the eons, but this one made him the saddest. To say farewell to a tribe only to find out later that the entire race was wiped out. Horrible, but here stands the impossible, a rememant.

Dehkan responded, shaking away his thoughts. "Hello, Andromeda. Pretty name. As for your proposal, I'm sure you are unaware of my destination. I am headed to lands that have cast aside their duty to nature. I revere it as you do, if not more so, but I have to interact with more ignorant creatures to acheive my goals. What are your goals, protector of the forest? What reason would you have to leave the safety of the forest?"

[Andromeda]

Andromeda responded to Dehkan by saying "My goals are simple, Dehkan, in my mind, I continue life to protect the intelligent and semi-intelligent creatures of nature from a fate my parents had to suffer. you see, my parents were killed by hunters 11 years ago. Since then, i have endeavoured to eliminate the hunters of the intelligent, and eventually, HOPEFULLY, find the men that killed my parents, and take revenge. As for the reason I am leaving the forest, it is because I have sufficiently trained the creatures of this forest to defend themselves against hunters. It is time for me to move on to a new forest, and train more forest folk in defence." upon finishing her speech, she smiled sheepishly, and pleaded with her eyes for him to take her with him.

[Dehkan]

Dehkan sighed. Her eyes told him she wanted to go. "All right," he said, "but you don't need my permission. I can't tell you not to come." He thought about her story. Her parents? So there could be more of them. It always pleased him to hear of survival.

"I am looking for the Library of the Ancients. It is a structure of immense size that moves every time a patron enters or leaves it. It could be on any world, in any place. Inside is a copy of every book ever written, or should I say, every word ever written." Dehkan thought for a moment. "If we should find it, chances are whoever has commited this crime on your family has written on the subject, and we will learn of their identity, and probably their whereabouts." There were two reasons he wanted to help Andromeda. One was her situation. The other was the oppurtunity to learn of her people. If they travel together, there will be many chances to speak.

"You told me your story, so I am obligated to tell mine." Said Dehkan. "It is long, so I'll just tell you vague information. The power you witnessed is called planeswalking. I use it to travel from one world to another. Over 5,000 years ago, when I was a farmer on a different world, three gods ruled over the universe. Past, Present, and Future, were their names. I won't go into details about what happened right now, but I was granted powers from each of them. Past gave me the ability to remember everything my senses experience. Present gave me immortality, and Future gave me the ability to look briefly into the future of a person other than myself."

"We will learn of each others past as we go on," Dehkan said, looking over his ally, evaluating her combat effectiveness, "but I am more concerned if we run into trouble. How well can you weild your weapon?"

[Andromeda]

Listening only vaguely to what Dehkan was saying, Andy let her mind wander, untill Dehkan mentioned the prospect of possibly finding the men who killed her parents. She continued listening intently to Dehkan as he recited a breif history of himself. Upon asking about her skill with her weapons, she giggled and said "I am about average with my katana and bow, and with my claws," she held up her hands and wiggled her fingers, showing razer sharp black claws, "I am extremely skilled." "Now I must ask you this," she added, "how well can you fight"

[Dehkan]

Answering her question with a sigh, Dehkan replied, "I have little actual combat experience, but I am book-smart. I have read a great deal of military textbooks and journals of those who actually invented most of the common weapons. I can use most weapons effectively." He thought for a moment.

"I have an idea," Dehkan said, "Let us have a practice match. No holds barred, but not to the death, of course. Non-lethal blows only. If our weapons are about to hit, turn the blade so the side will connect. The match will end when either one of us yeild, or when our weapon leaves our hand." He pointed at Andromeda's claws. "As for your claws, you can use them, but you still lose if you drop your katana."

He stretched out his guantleted hand, "Agreed?"

[Andromeda]

Andromeda took dehkans hand and shook, saying "agreed, but be warned, I fight dirty, but at least you will get some actual combat experience. Now, lets do this!" And with that, she whipped out her katana and held it at the ready. she took her combat stance, katana in one hand, claws ready in the other. She held the position for a moment, allowing Dehkan to take his stance, and when he did, she began. She moved with grace and agility, feinting one way, lungeing another, and slashing in yet another. She moved like lightning, strikeing and returning to the defensive in a flash. After playing with him a little bit, she began to try to land some blows. She lunged in, dodged out, and made a slash at him, turning the blade flat. after that routine, she returned to her defensive stance to fend of his attacks.

[Dehkan]

Dehkan watched with some amusement at his sparring partner's attempts to make him flinch. Maybe she mistook my comment by thinking that I've never recieved any knowledge about combat, he thought, tilting his head to the side to avoid the last flat-bladed swing, but when I said I know a little, I meant by my own standards.

Dehkan gripped his owb blade tightly with both hands, and the dormant runes on the blade began to glow slightly. What the runes meant, Dehkan didn't know. He suspected they were in the language of the Mechas, the ones who gave him the weapon along with the armor. The tilted hourglass symbol had the same red shading to it, but it didn't glow unless struck.

He was surprised at the girl's readiness for a battle. Only moments ago was the offer made for a match, but she seemed ready immediatly. Fast on her feet. I will not win this battle. Dehkan thought as he raised his sword ofer his head. Turning the blade to its' side, he brought it down in a hurry, taking a stance ready to dart to the right or left if his blow failed. The runes left behind a faint after-image as the blade moved towards its' target.

[Andromeda]

As Andromeda was in the middle of a staged battle in front of her forest home in Scara Brae, a messenger came up to her, saying “You are needed at the citadel by Virtue.”
Distracted by the messenger for a second, she let her guard down. That was a mistake. Her opponent was swinging as she heard this, and she realized this too late. She tried to block his blow, but she didn’t have time to ready her grip on her Katana. It was knocked out of her hand, thus causing her to lose the sparring match. “Damn It!” she cursed at the messenger, “Can’t you see I was in the middle of sparring?! Now, who sends you?!”
“Sine Nomine” the messenger responded.
“Tell Virtue that I will leave soon, then, but I must have a rematch with my opponent first. Without distractions.” And she turned to her opponent and said “I am sorry for the interruption. Let us begin again.”

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another staff member and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.