Duel or Nought!

[Midnight68652]

Deep in the Bramblethorn Wood, the smile of blood and the sounds of fighting could be heard. The Innari tribes were having their duels. Some were dueling for pride, others for standing in their tribe, and yet some trying to get the right to become warlord. Though others came just to watch and cheer. The Innari were a warring people and as such enjoyed the spectacle.

Matthew headed deep in the woods hoping the directions he had gotten were correct. He hadn’t been out of the monastery that long and wanted to test his skill. 'What better way than dueling warriors of a warring people. If he could stand against these warriors good then maybe fighting for the church back in Salvar might be possible,' Matthew thought to himself. He wasn’t one to jump into battle because he was told to only to be slaughtered.

As he got closer to the heart of the woods he could hear chanting and cheering. Soon he came up to the backs of some warriors. Apparently there was a fight going on at the moment. He began pushing his way thought the crowd till he was at the edge of one of the pits. Once there the hopped in sliding down the slopped edges till he stopped. Matthew then took his sword out of the leather clip binding that held it on his back and stabbed it shallowly into the ground.

“I am D-Ji Krul and I am here for a fight,” he said to those around and stood there waiting for a challenger to jump in after him.

[Nayeli]

With the mask on, Nayeli became a different person. She could walk among the crowds of Innari at the fight pits without being recognized as a Chieftain’s daughter. She was, in other words, free.

She examined at her reflection in a pool of water critically. She was still obviously a slender Innari girl, but her appearance was well enough disguised. The mask covered the upper half of her face—everything over her nose really—with only holes for the eyes. It was in the shape of a fox’s face and ears, carved intricately out of white wood and painted red and orange. She grinned, and the grin matched the ferocity of the mask’s colors.

Her father, the Chieftain of the Boar Tribe, wouldn’t let her battle in the fight pits. Not anymore, anyway. Not after what had happened last time. Only a week earlier, Nayeli had battled the champion of the Sparrow Tribe—a brute of an Innari named Kapimu. She’d almost ended up dead, and her opponent had been disqualified, and it had been an ugly fight. After that, she was forbidden from entering matches.

Nayeli, however, wanted to fight. There was something exhilarating about fighting, about testing your mettle against the blade of another and seeing who came out on top. It was safe enough, after all, whatever her father might way. The shamans were standing by to heal challengers up to full strength after their matches. As long as she didn’t die, she’d be fine!

Perfectly safe.

She shoved her way through the crowds and soaked in the atmosphere. Drums beat with a heartbeat’s regularity and the primal power of a lion’s roar. The crowds cheered for blood, and the air smelled of sweat and blood.

She found her way to an open arena. Some human with a strange arm was standing in it, and she wrinkled her brow. It was odd to see a non-Innari here, although not unheard of. It didn’t look like anyone was willing to challenge the strange human who’d dared to enter one of the Innari’s most secret and special areas. Nayeli shrugged. She hadn’t fought many humans, so perhaps this would be good practice.

The crowd gasped and cheered when she stepped into the arena. “I give no name,” she proclaimed. “But I fight for the honor of the Fox Tribe!”

Innari all around murmured. Everyone knew that there was no Fox tribe. What Innari would dare to proclaim honor for a tribe that didn’t exist and hide their face? No rule prohibited either action, but both were far out of the norm.

The arena soon attracted a large crowd. The oddity of a human battling in the fight pits would have been enough to bring an audience, and the strange masked warrior only increased the draw of the match.

Nayeli smiled at her opponent. “Good luck,” she said, and she meant it. She was in her element here--surely no human could best an Innari in the fight pits.

She drew a wicked iron dagger from her hip and sprinted at her opponent, slashing wildly with the blade. She had no expectation of drawing blood with this first attack, but it would be good to test the strange human’s capabilities.

The crowd roared.

[Midnight68652]

A woman.
Looking her over a bit Matthew thought, 'An ugly young woman. Was this his opponent’

He was expecting a man but a woman would do. Matt knew not to underestimate women. He had actually spared with a lot of women back at the monastery. Judging from her size they were both at a disadvantage. Her small stature meant most of his attacks would fly over her head, but his large body meant she had to rely on her speed and agility to overcome him. This probably wouldn’t be an easy fight but Matt had also fought against opponents like her during his training.

“I give no name,” she proclaimed. “But I fight for the honor of the Fox Tribe!”
‘No name,’ he scoffed to himself, means she’s lieing and fighting for something else but isn’t allowed to. Well they will find out who she is after I beat her.’

“Good luck,” she said as she smiled at him. Matt could tell she meant it the way she said it. At least he thought she meant it.
“You’ll need it,” Matt said confidently as he took his stance.

He didn’t use any of the stances he was taught at the monastery because he didn’t have an open side. Matt reached out and pulled his sword out of the dirt. As he moved to his side to make his profile smaller he held his sword out behind him in perfect vertical swinging position. His right arm was his shield. He held it out in front of him bend at the elbow. His arm would generally always protect him from attacks. He then bent his knees to be more at her height.

She charged at him slashing wildly.
’Sloppy.’
It was quite easy to block her slashes as he moved his arm around. Then at one of her slashes, he pushed his arm out swinging it open. He blocked her strike and also tried to knock her off balance and force her into defense. This move left him open but also came with an attack. He moved his right foot forward swinging his weapon with his momentum and his strength. This attack wasn’t meant to win the fight merely to test his opponent. If she wasn’t paying attention to his weapon or went in for an attack she would end up with her head cleaved off. He was hoping this would be enough to throw her off her game to give him the chance to end it quickly.

[Nayeli]

What is this creature? Nayeli thought. It obviously was no ordinary human. She slashed with her dagger again and again, but each blow was blocked by the man’s left arm. He used his strangely shaped limb as a shield, and it had to be as hard as metal. Try as she might, she couldn’t find a way past his defenses.

Without warning, the man shifted stances and went on the offensive. Nayeli ducked to dodge the man’s attack, and fortunately was quick enough to do so, but she was thrown off balance. She staggered backwards towards the edge of the arena, and the crowd hissed. If she lost this battle, it wouldn’t bring dishonor upon any one tribe—it would bring dishonor on all Innari. They’d take her mask, her identity would be revealed…and then the real trouble would begin. That could not be allowed to happen.

She panted from exertion. It didn’t take much to make Nayeli run out of stamina. Even for an Innari, she was small, and not particularly muscular. Still, she couldn’t give up just yet.

“What are you?” she asked, gesturing to the creature’s arm. “I have a right to know what I’m up against.”

Odds were that the strange human wasn't a human at all but a demon. Nayeli’s mother was a shaman, and she’d taught her daughter of such creatures. A variety of demons lived in the Brokenthorn Forest, and while this man didn't seem to fit into any category she knew of, it was possible that he was some kind she hadn't heard of. If that was the case, she might have no hope after all. Demons were powerful and unpredictable creatures. Nayeli might have a chance against one at range—she was an archer at heart—but in a close arena like this? No hope at all, unless she had incredible luck.

She adjusted her stance to the defensive. Attacking hadn’t worked for her, so obviously she’d have to try something different: making use of her greater dexterity and smaller size to find a gap in his defenses. She would do what had worked so well in her match against the brutish Kapimu—dodge and dodge until a window opened in which to strike.

It was time to let her opponent come to her.

[Midnight68652]

She had dodged his attack. ‘Just as I expected.’ Though her first onslaught cost her, he could see her breathing hard. ’Such low stamina.’

“What are you?” she asked, “I have a right to know what I’m up against.” He could tell she was talking about his arm.
Matt stood up to his full height as she backed off. He raised his arm up grasping his claw tight and relaxing it. Memories flooded his head, back at the monastery. His mind was forced to relive every insult, every so called harmless prank, every even fight he was in.

“What does it matter what I am.” Matt spoke suddenly his voice seemed much harsher than before, “All that matters is that we are enemies, but if you must know. He reached over pulling off his shirt, dropped his steel mesh chest to the ground. His body riddled with scars as if he had seen hundreds of wars, yet he hadn’t seen a single one.
“I am D-Ji Krul, half demon mercenary,” Matt spat out, his voice carrying the same harshness as before with a bit of distain towards the end. Looking up at her from his hand, through the upper edge of the socket, the red in his eyes seemed to glow a little brighter now as he spoke more in a demonic tone, “And I will beat you.”

He took his stance again, though instead of its defensive counterpart, this one held his blade on his shoulder for easier carrying but also a faster strike. His demon limb held out more down to his side but tighten and ready to grasp or punch. Though he was still turned, his right side back but not quite as far as before. Then he started closing the distance between him and her.
As soon as he, got with his demon arms length of her he struck out hard with his fist right at her chest trying to catch her off guard. His other hand was ready with his blade to cleave diagonally from his shoulder towards his left foot, if she dodged to her right.

[Nayeli]

Nayeli almost smirked as the demon-man charged towards her and punched. In a way, the half demon was similar to the Innari warrior she’d fought here before, Kapimu. They were both brutes with plenty of strength and no subtlety at all. Well, that was a type she’d learned to fight easily enough. The demon-man’s punch was easily dodged, and she ducked to the right and prepared to retaliate—

The demon-man’s blade cut into her shoulder like a hawk’s talons swooping down from above. She took a few steps backwards and gasped in surprise as warm blood soaked her deerskin shirt and ran down her side and chest. The gash in her shoulder wasn’t too serious, but it was painful, and if it bled much more she might be in trouble.. Damn it! She’d been too concerned with his mutated arm and forgotten to watch his blade—a stupid mistake to make.

“Fox-warrior!” someone called from outside the arena. At first Nayeli had no idea what they were talking about, but then she remembered the mask she was wearing. She turned her head. “Demons are not allowed in the dueling pits, remember,” a chieftain standing at the edge of the arena reminded her. Nayeli nodded. She understood the implicit statement inside the man’s words. Having any demon battling was probably against some sort of rule, even if it wasn’t exactly written down. If she wished, she could have the shamans standing by end the battle, heal her shoulder, and that would be that. No one would question her judgment. It was the easy way out, if not the honorable one.

She shook her head. “No,” she said, her voice filled with false bravado. She wished she felt half as confident as she sounded. “I can handle this.”

So the man truly was a demon, or at least half-demon. What was the difference? That explained his supernatural strength and bizarre arm. She thought back to the things her mother had taught her about demons. Usually they had some sort of weakness, and usually that weakness was to light, or flame.

Well, she could provide both those things.

Nayeli stepped back to the edge of the arena, feigning as though she were about to resign. When she reached the edge, however, she whipped the bow from her back and notched an arrow. The crowd laughed. Using a bow in close combat? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She focused, and the runes sigils engraved on her hand-crafted bow glowed with arcane purple light. The arrow she had notched caught fire of the same color. The crowd was utterly silent. They had never seen magic like this used before.

Nayeli smiled, and even through the eyes of the mask the ferocity in her eyes was evident. She tracked the demon-man with her bow. If he so much as moved a muscle, she’d fire straight for his heart.

Permission is of course granted to bunny Nayeli firing the bow at D-Ji if he charges her. Whether or not the arrow actually hits is up to you.

[Midnight68652]

A smile crept over Matt’s lips as his blade ripped into her shoulder. It had been so long since he had seen the pleasurable look of pain a victims eyes. His calm was renewed at seeing the goblin leap off the blade leaving her stain dripping slightly. He moves his sword back towards his head before licking some of the blood off.

“Fox-Warrior. Demons are not allowed in the dueling pits, remember,” Matt looked up at the voice seeing one of the goblin chiefs toss his opponent a bow. ‘Useless.’ He thought as she leapt away just out of the pit. ‘So she wants to take this out of the arena then,’ His smile grew bigger as his brows arched in, ‘So be it.’

As she notched her arrow, a purple flame rose over the arrow, Matt took another stance moving his armored arm in front of his chest, bringing his sword behind him. Suddenly he gave a slight rising roar as he collected his demon energy. If she wanted to fight with magic he was going to oblige.



Empowered Darkness
Matt’s legs started to glow with a dark light as a slight dark aura rose over them. Suddenly he took a sprinting run forward.

Her arrow was gone, flying at her mark. His sudden acceleration caused her aim to be off slightly. Her arrow flew fast and had he been a normal man he would be in a bad place. The arrow hit Matt squarely in the chest right where his hand was. Hitting such a hard target the arrow splintered harmlessly to his left side as the fire burst at him which, with a quick swing of his hand away, had made it coat his hand harmlessly before he started moving his arm back to his chest.

His improved speed let him close the distance between them preventing her from getting multiple shots off. Matt converted his arms return into a swinging left fist aimed at her side. If contacted his blade would return to the hole it had carved into her once already.