Concise Combat Armaments

[Breaker]

Closed to Karuka. No post in this battle will be more than 400 words or less than 200 words, not including OOC notes. Any bunnying is pre-approved. Although this thread is formatted as a battle, it will be judged as a quest and thus will be more co-operative than most Althanas battles.

Josh Cronen reclined in a polished leather armchair and swirled a scalding mug of peppermint tea in one hand. Its fresh aroma mingled with the light cinnamon incense that ghosted about the cozy waiting room. Lush rugs of Elven weave cushioned the speckled marble floors. Furniture perched upon them like castles on clouds. The walls ran at odd angles, adorned with all manner of silver and crystal decorations. The design of the room allowed each ornament to amplify the light of the large fireplace which dominated its east end, where forked flames licked at the air, enjoyed the aromas as much as he did.

Cronen had arrived at the Citadel hours earlier with a manic look in his eye that his good friend the monk Medsan recognized right away. Sidestepping his duties for a few seconds, Medsan deposited Cronen in the room of a thousand flames and hastened to find a suitable opponent to slake the thirst of Josh’s repressed persona. Even with the calming effect of golden firelight all around him and the minty, vibrant taste of the tea in his mouth, Cronen could not relax. Tremors lanced through his fingers and toes, the first sign that Breaker was fighting for control of their body.

Breaker bristled through the recesses of his mind like a wild dog on a short chain. Giving the beast his weekly exercise was increasingly difficult. Even at the Citadel where all wounds were healed, most combatants could not face the berserker’s wrath. When unsatisfied with the power of his opposition, Breaker was careful not to kill them. He’d maim and torture the hapless battlers, delivering enough emotional damage to last decades. After an event where he had forced a young foot soldier to chew his own eyes, one at a time, Medsan decided to scour the rooms of the Citadel each time Breaker needed an exorcism, in search of someone who could give the brute a taste of his own medicine.

As a failsafe, Josh requested that his battle be best-of-five fatalities in five different settings. He intended to use the first two arenas to test his opponent’s mettle and then, if the warrior proved worthy, unchain the wolf in his mind.

[Karuka]

Karuka entered the dry, cool halls of the megalithic Citadel with a thoughtful expression etched upon her features. Light steps fell with a soft surety, but the tapping of amber fingers on the shaft of a spear belied a disquietude in the lithe woman who dared return to this center of continuous controlled carnage.

On the streets of Radasanth, less than an hour before, Karuka had encountered a ghost from her past: a preternaturally beautiful Elven boy who had attacked her without provocation or warning. She had defeated him all too easily, and if it had been almost anyone else, she would have never given it a second thought. In recent years, taking down anyone who had attacked her was had become almost second nature.

But her attacker tonight wasn't just another fool out for her hefty coin pouch or some other valuable. It was the same Elven boy who had randomly attacked her when she was just a lass of sixteen, but that time he had very nearly killed her. Reunions were a rare thing on Althanas; she'd never before been able to measure her progress against someone from her past.

Had she really become so strong?

Medsan looked up when Karuka walked past him. He had been searching for an opponent suitable for Josh's needs, and ordinarily the tawny redhead that was now seeking a fight wouldn't have merited much of a second thought other than getting her squared away in a room to await a match. She had never come out ahead in a serious battle, at least not within the Citadel walls. But she had battled Josh before, and in several of her other fights, she had held her own for impressive amounts of time even when severely outmatched. It was for this reason he approached the young woman.


~*~*~*

The door to the Room of a Thousand Flames opened, and a slender figure stepped through. Her skin blended in with the natural ambience of the room, catching the light and keeping it, but her dark red hair would have marked her out anywhere. The confused waif of a few years before had been replaced by a confident woman, one that carried herself easily.

Bright blue eyes briefly scrutinized the muscular warrior, then a pomegranate mouth slashed into a grin.

"You are looking well, Josh Cronen."

[Breaker]

We remember that luscious red hair.

The internal grating of Breaker’s demonic voice spurred Josh to his feet. His black shirt, wrinkled from the time he had spent reclined, stretched tight over his cable-like muscles, a second set of skin. It was hard to remember his manners with Breaker suddenly vocal in the back of his mind, clawing for control of their body like a caged cat. Josh managed to set the mug down on a teak end table without spilling it and turned politely to face the redhead. As he moved, his meditative breathing caught the lass’ scent, which complemented the aroma of the incense.

Rosebuds and womanhood, Breaker laughed like a man in a straight jacket. I liked her smell better when her blood came out. Let’s spill it again.

Two callused fingers touched the bayonet on the back of his belt unconsciously. When Josh realized that Breaker had gained temporary control of the hand, he snatched it away and crossed his arms. That seasoned dagger had finished their previous battle buried to the hilt in the girl’s throat.

“Same to you, Karuka Tida.” The last time they fought Josh had tested her, and afterwards offered her a position in his former clan called Imperial. She declined, but that was a long time ago, water under the bridge. Joshua’s instinct told him not to let her face Breaker, that he would massacre her like so many others. But as he opened his mind and sensed the waves of magical energy radiating from Karuka like heat from the fire, he realized she might be up to the challenge. His powers had grown exponentially since their last meeting, but so had hers, it seemed.

Yes yes, you’re right; she’ll spank me like a bad little boy. Now let me FIGHT HER.

No more time for logic and reasoning. Josh could not contain Breaker if he resided in that room for another minute.

“Is everything ready?” He asked Medsan in a strained voice, sweat beading beneath the stubble on his chin.
“That way,” the monk said simply. One manicured finger indicated the roaring fireplace.

Cronen demonstrated confidence in his friend by plunging headfirst into the flames. A moment of intense heat, and then he tripped and rolled through the muggy underbrush of an overgrown rainforest.

A fern shuddered, a tree trembled. Josh was invisible in the jungle.

[Karuka]

Karuka's eyes narrowed sharply after Josh's departure. The cocky Cronen she remembered was different; he had something else boiling under the surface, ready to break. What she saw in the subtle switches in his stance, in the flickers of his eyes, was the same predatory glare she'd seen in many other eyes, and it never stopped making her uneasy.

Shaking her head, Karuka set her pack gently in a chair and opened the flap to reveal the downy head of a baby phoenix. It opened its tiny blue eyes and looked at her groggily, but fell back to sleep at a gentle touch. She wasn't feeding him; just setting him down.

"Cadal ma, Taodoine," she murmured tenderly.

She turned toward the fire as the words left her lips, and all tenderness vanished. Though she wasn't even through the portal yet, Karuka's mind was already gearing up for battle. Her body tensed slightly, and she could feel little vibrations of the future touching her mind. Gripping her staff loosely, she stepped into the flames.

Almost as soon as she was through, Karuka's hair was plastered to whatever skin it could find by the force of the humidity. Darkness pervaded the arena, and the musty smell of decomposing leaf litter assailed the lass's nostrils.

Despite the unfamiliar conditions, Karuka smiled, tilting her head back and tasting the air with a deep breath. She was Celtic, but some more primitive part of her beat with the savageness of the Indian jungles. It was that part that felt at home in this sweltering twilight, where sunlight only reached in tiny spots. Each sound, insects and reptiles moving through their home, made her ears twitch, and she decided to move. Here was not the best place for her to battle; she liked light and options far too much to simply stay on the ground.

It was only a minute's climb on the smooth bark of the jungle trees until she reached a place she was truly comfortable in. The dense foliage provided her with cover, soft green light made her surroundings visible, and her size and agility gave her a precious advantage.

She just had to find him.

Closing her eyes, the redhead forced herself to ignore everything that was not alive. When she spotted the bright blotch of vitality that marked Cronen, she started stalking carefully toward him, boots falling silently on branches.

"Cadal ma, Taodoine," translates to "sleep well, Taodoine."

[Breaker]

Cronen slithered through heaps of rotting plant life wet with decomposition. To many it was the smell of death, but Josh recognized the rebirth of life in the loam. Insects crawled under and over him, many legs propelling them on one-minded missions.

A similar jungle had been Joshua’s battle arena months before when he worked for the Dajas Pagoda. There he fought everything from giants to humans to vampires, and through the course of those battles the jungle adopted him. Slimy roots and sticky leaves pushed on his arms and legs, abetting his soldier crawl. His black clothing clung warm and clammy to his body until it resembled wearing a wetsuit in a sauna.

This shit is unnecessary. This is my game you greedy bastard.

Josh shoved Breaker’s presence to the deepest corner of his conscious. In the tranquility of the jungle he controlled the berserker. It lent him time to test Karuka’s skills, like the last time they met. Only, last time when she passed he offered a reward; this time she would reap a different prize.

He halted and placed one wide palm on the base of a great tree. Closing his eyes, he let his other senses reach upwards and outwards. Listened past the buzzing of gnats which swarmed his head and heard the leaves chattering high overhead. When the wind touched the treetops they breathed deeply, and Cronen respired to their rhythm. He felt Karuka’s presence not too high above, sensed the magical signature emanating from her soul.

Pay attention you selfish son of a bitch. She knows where you are too. Probably laughing at your wormy ways while she enjoys the view.

Josh realized that the monster had a point. Breaker owned the same ability to sense magic as he, but at times they discerned different things. Like tumblers on a lock finding their homes, his analytical mind chose a new attack plan.

He stood in plain view looking up at Karuka. Mud covered his form but he spread his hands wide.

“Shall we play hide and…” He moved faster than eyes could follow, sprinted straight up the tree with enchanted boots sticking like a spider’s feet. The energy burst carried him to her height. He launched off the trunk in a half back flip, aimed at the Celtic lass, attempting to wrap his arms around her and force her into a freefall.

Josh is attempting to get a body lock but he'd settle for grabbing just about anything; ankle, clothing etc.

[Karuka]

Karuka prowled through the sturdy branches, placing each foot carefully lest she fall. The magic that made the jungle was powerful, powerful enough that the buzz of insects and musical chirps of birds were perfectly realistic. But however realistic it might be, nothing could ever make the illusionary foliage real. Thus, the illusory trees she trod upon were mere ghostly images to her life-seeking vision.

In her left hand she gripped her spear, holding it with its point down so that she could whip it around instantly in response to any surprise attack. One of her throwing knives dangled from her right hand, ready to go in case she had the advantage.

Finally, she stood almost directly over Josh, and looked down at his prone form while he writhed in the leaf litter. A blink and a shake of her head cleared her vision, letting the darkness of the lower levels flood her eyes for the moment it took her to adjust. His face, streaked and spotted with dirt, looked up at hers and the riot of shadows the leaves threw across her countenance, and for a moment there was a tense silence while the mighty titan and sleek she-devil stared each other down.

The instant before he was upon her, Josh’s movement played flashed in her mind‘s eye, and before she could even think to react her right hand drew back and then whipped forward, the dagger rocketing toward him on his flight path.

At the moment she released her knife, Karuka’s stance changed. She had been standing with her feet almost together, ready to launch her any direction at her slightest whim, now they spread out, giving her a more stable base and better leverage. Both hands gripped her staff, and with a mighty downward stab she slammed the butt down on him with all the force she could muster.

She didn’t wait for Cronen to recover from her attacks; the branch she stood on now could support both of them easily and he had size and weight over her.

Long legs burst into movement and nimble feet carried her across the branch with only soft taps behind her before she jumped to the next branch in the next tree. She couldn’t beat him on her own, so she’d have to enlist the aid of the jungle if she hoped to come out victorious in this particular environment.