Noontide

[Dissinger]

Solo


Tagaz watched silently as the warriors went about their days, each one diligently working as they either kicked furiously at the training dummies or continued the inane task that Tagaz had given them before they could even think of attacking a dummy. The sounds of hard work and effort were the prayers offered to him, and the smell of sweat and the occasional blood was the offerings upon the altar of strength. He had worked hard to turn the few Ixian Knights who had come to him for guidance, into something resembling warriors of old.

He tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes, straining to hear something. Soon the other students stopped, sensing the change in the atmosphere. Everything paused, a pregnant silence that seemed to give birth to the sounds of boots clicking over the stones of the castle. The first thing everyone saw was a man enter, hat and jacket upon him. Without fanfare, the hat was tossed aside, landing on one fo the training dummies in a practiced motion, before the jacket was flung over the arm of the same. A satchel flew across the air to land at the base of the dummy, revealing to everyone who had stepped into the dojo.

"I sincerely hope you aren't asking me to train you," Tagaz said loudly. The students had frowned, seeing the wild brown locks of hair and flashes of gray eyes under them. The Lavinian demon only grinned, before a dagger was held in hand the grip reversed. Tagaz narrowed an eye as he observed the man for a second. He then spoke, "You aren't looking for training, are you?"

The dagger went to life in the hand twirling about with a deadly grace. His hand moved about casually before with a flick of his wrist, the knife flipped across his body to the other hand. His eyes never leaving Tagaz, before a second knife entered the deadly juggle. Both blades continued to fly through the air even as the demon locked eyes with the sensei of the dojo. Tagaz narrowed his eyes, before he nodded slowly, clenching his hands into fists before raising a knee and standing on the ball of his foot. He waited silently before the juggle came to a stop, and Seth held both knives in the reverse grip of the Lavinian Style. One foot was placed before the other, each shoulder width apart, while a hand covered his chest with blade.

Both stood silently before Seth carefully stood down, and Tagaz's foot lowered to the ground. They moved slowly about in a circle, neither wishing to get closer to their would be opponent. Each step of Seth's boots echoed in the dojo as the men prowled about each other, waiting for the first sign of weakness. Seth held a faint grin on his face, even as Tagaz's remained a stone mask with a stern sneer. Both men continued the dance for a bit before with a casual twirl, one knife was holstered and one of the kunai at the small of his back was pulled, the ring allowing him to twirl the blade about slowly. Both men remained still, the lung popper twirling about slowly as Tagaz seemed only to grin at the potential projectile.

Finally the lung popper was holstered along with the other knife. Seth carefully tilted his neck this way and that, relieving the tension before he took a step back. Tagaz seemed to relax as the fire left both men's eyes. Tagaz then spoke, "I see, if it does get to that point, do not hesitate to return. I will not begrudge you that."

"Whatever you say," Seth replied calmly. He moved over to the dummies before he carefully put the hat on his head. The jacket was put on in a practiced motion, and finally the satchel returned to over his shoulder. Soon he was back out the door before the students turned to their teacher wondering just what the hell had happened.

[Dissinger]

Stephanie had witnessed the events that had transpired. At first her heart raced at the prospect of watching Seth Dahlios fight. She had only heard of the rather improvisational tactics that the Lavinian Demon used, and had longed to witness them, either by herself, or through proxy. When the fight ended without bloodshed, she had felt disappointed and at the same time glad that Seth Dahlios seemed to reign in whatever had pushed him to fight Tagaz.

The perplexing note, was what Tagaz had said to Seth in parting. It was odd, for the two men had never met, Tagaz had said as much. Quickly Tagaz had pointed out his disdain for murderers and power hungry psychotics. Seth was by far both in one tightly bundled package, tied off with a bow that even now threatened to slip loose and unleash the contents upon Althanas. The parting of the two warriors, if Seth could even be called such, was almost respectful. Neither one seemed to begrudge the other nor did they seem at all hostile, despite the harsh words from the Lavinian Demon. The dojo had closed for the day, and Stephanie was walking out with Tagaz.

"Your mind is clouded. You're confused, easy to see how, considering today's events," The warrior said as he carefully hung the closed sign on the door to the training room.

Stephanie looked upon the warrior before she spoke, "I thought you hated him."

"So easy to confused pity for hate in this world. I find it laughable at times,' Tagaz returned before he looked at her, "You know why you fight, and we both know why Jensen fights. Do you understand Seth Dahlios enough to see why he fights? I saw it in his eyes, lurking behind them and prowling like the animals we were slowly devolving to."

"Power," Stephanie said bluntly. The tone almost seemed to hint Tagaz had to be crazy to think otherwise.

Laughter filtered into her ears even as she frowned looking at Tagaz. Her eyes belied her confusion before Tagaz spoke his tone far harsher than she had heard it in awhile, "Why don't you ask him about his so called power. That magic he practices could give him all the power he desires if the rumors are even a tenth true. If power was why he fights, then you certainly have missed the mark tenfold."

"But he killed his parents for power, he killed all those people for power. The Knights of the Apocalypse even followed him to make sure he would not repeat his father's sins, and even now he's almost been put on the kill list several times. If he doesn't fight for power, why does he fight?"

"Why indeed, perhaps if you fought him you could understand, but I doubt you would last long enough to see it, to understand it and fathom it. He would kill you as easily as I would swat a gnat," Tagaz then gestured to dismiss her.

"That's not what he told me. He said I would probably have exhausted every option, but he'd lose. He said he wasn't as young as he used to be," Stephanie countered.

Tagaz laughed again this time leaning against the wall before he said firmly, "If he said that he was merely giving you what you wanted to hear. When he fights, when he truly dredges up enough care to pour his entire focus on the fight. When that happens that man is a Demon. There is no amount of fancy in that title, he killed in cold blood for the power he holds. If he fought you as he is now, he would not beat you, but when I faced off with him? He would have torn you to pieces and left enough to give to Jensen as a mere trinket."

"That doesn't answer my question," Stephanie said firmly.

"It is not my place to tell you why another fights. That is for them to divulge, if you care enough to figure it out, perhaps you should come tomorrow..."

"Why tomorrow?" Stephanie replied, puzzled by the cryptic statement. Tagaz was never one to dodge around the subject. He was as direct as the Lavinian Demon, yet both had acted quite strangely.

"Because he knows the Dojo isn't open tomorrow, since that is when I do my private practice. He doesn't want to risk others, because he won't hold back if he does commit to the fight," Tagaz replied casually. Stephanie nodded solemnly before she leaned against the wall. Tagaz patted her on the shoulder before he said firmly, "Come tomorrow, consider this a special training session."

[Dissinger]

Seth moved through the hallways, his destination clear. He had walked this road many times, usually ending up at the citadel before killing someone, then feeling distinctly empty inside. He could feel the urges to kill welling up in him, and they were overwhelming. The fact that he found someone he could truly unload on, was something else entirely. Even Jensen Ambrose had only managed to challenge him, due to the fact he had been severely limiting his capabilities. So, now that he didn't need to, it was refreshing to know he could fight without holding back. It put a joyous spring to his step.

The door to the Dojo opened easily enough, and so he entered his eyes looking about before he saw Tagaz, going through the motions of some complex maneuver. When he was finished he remained still looking at the wall before him. His eyes seemed to betray nothing before he spoke, his voice firm, "And here I thought you were going to be late. Couldn't wait once you got the scent?"

"What can I say, one predator to another, it sucks culling the weak from the herd," Seth replied. He carefully took off his clothing, his actions more deliberate than when he had paraded around the dojo previously. It wasn't until then he noticed that sitting in the corner was Stephanie Odara. He narrowed his eyes before he jerked his head at the girl, "What? Fighting me scaring you to the point you need a cheerleader?"

"Far from it, I merely wished her to learn something today, something that she could not figure out herself," Tagaz replied as he continued to face away from Seth. The demon grinned before he looked back at the girl, that insufferable smirk visibly irritating her as he looked back at Tagaz.

"Fine, not my fault if she becomes a casualty," Seth replied firmly.

"I think I'll be able to hold your attention enough to make that possibility nonexistent," Tagaz returned.

"Someone ate two scoops of confidence this morning," Seth retorted before the knives came to life. The dance continuing as Tagaz merely continued to look at the wall.

"I have fought Lavinian Thieves enough to know that trick Seth, you need not protect your hands, I know better than to harm a knife fighter's lively hood."

"Never hurts to practice, besides you really don't know why it's done if you assume its just to protect the hands. I have gauntlets for that shit..." The Lavinian said, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.

The two began their deadly dance. Each one lashing out as Tagaz unleashed a savage kick. The Lavinian ducked under it bringing a knife up towards Tagaz's gut, only to find the man had pivoted, brining a knee about to Seth's back. Rather than resist the blow the Lavinian flipped over the knee, using it as a post such that Tagaz aided the ill-timed maneuver and allowed the thief the land before both locked up again, this time the Lavinian's boot bouncing harmlessly off the shin of the stronger man. The demon then brought his knives about and slashed forward forcing Tagaz back before he could capitalize on the horribly inefficient kick.

Both looked at the other appreciatively even as Seth's grin had not diminished in the slightest. He nodded softly before he said, "I have to admit, as annoying as that was, it's good to finally fight someone who knows what the fuck they're doing..."

Tagaz opened his mouth to say something before the Lavinian was again on the attack slashing outwards in an effort to see just how much pressure the larger warrior could withstand. Slash and slice were met in equal regard with Seth pushing the man backwards, only to find himself quickly back off and hopping to the side to avoid the well timed rising knee that had meant to hit him fully in the face. Seth nodded softly before he chased after the man, who brought a foot about in a savage kick, only to watch it bounce harmlessly off the gauntlet plates on Seth's arm. He winced slightly before shaking his right hand and hopping back checking on his wrist. It flexed this way and that before he nodded softly, making note of the pain. Finally Tagaz was allowed to say his part, "I must say, it is refreshing to find someone who knows how to talk during a fight, without exposing his mouth for a jaw breaker."

"Did you ever manage to shut that guy up?" Seth asked pointedly. The two had gone to pacing about the dojo before Tagaz shrugged;

"I don't think there is a force left on Althanas capable of the feat," both men chuckled before locking up again, Seth doing testing pokes, even as the knives kept swinging.

[Dissinger]

Stephanie watched the two as they began an intricate dance. Neither was telegraphing their moves, but the motions were so precise it belied the deadly grace both men possessed. Her eyes followed the movements of the Lavinian demon, who began to use more than just his blades in this endeavor. Knees were entering the mix along with the occasional elbow, and Tagaz himself began to fight dirty, using his mass as a weapon in shoving back the demon when things began to get too hectic.

She had seen Tagaz fight others, and dismantle them in seconds, the fact that Seth was still fighting, and held onto his grin was amazing to her. No one she had seen yet had managed to last this long against Tagaz, let alone still remain relatively unscathed. She was further amazed at how Dagger fighting was being kept at bay with the unarmed style of Tagaz. Her eyes focusing on something before she finally caught on to what Seth's fighting style truly did.

All through the fight Seth had been twirling about the knives. Never did they stay in his hands longer than a second, before they would be whisked away in some theatrical trick meant to dazzle and amaze. Most fighters would have been put off by the antic, thinking they could attack, however she also realized, Seth's hands were never so far from the blade, that he couldn't attack in a moment. Had she tried to capitalize on a toss into the air, she would have found that knife lodged into her spine. This was the beginnings of what Tagaz had been trying to tell her in the hallway.

The other was the fact that Seth wasn't trying very hard to hurt Tagaz. He was feeling the man's blows out, perhaps to gauge reaction times, or perhaps it was to decide how to go about truly dismantling the man. His face never lost that grin, though the eyes sparkled with a dark intelligence. This was what concerned her, he was deciding on something, and she couldn't tell what. Still she narrowed her eyes, seeing that never fading grin, before he dropped his hands to the side, almost tiredly. Was he showing fatigue finally? They had been fighting for a full five minutes.

Tagaz brought his fist about in a blow only to find the Lavinian was more snakelike than first thought. His feet slid deeper into the blow, before Tagaz could truly get much of his force behind the blow, and ducked to the side. The warrior, already committed to action widened his eyes ever so slightly at the fake opening. In their fighting the Lavinian had been playing things straight, only using his whole body as a weapon, he had never shown an inclination for bluffing. A knee went out rapidly, even as a blade spun to a stop, reversed grip. Tagaz took the blow grunting softly, before a knife stabbed downwards, Tagaz taking a step back to avoid the blade. Seth, who had grossly overextended, was quickly grabbed and tossed across the dojo, skidding long the floorboards, even as his blades clattered to the ground.

"I'd call that one a draw," Seth managed, even as a dark chuckle filtered through the room.

"I'll admit, I haven't had to throw someone to get them away from me. I'd have rather used a punch or a kick, but I know you could have reacted in time. You were looking for a blow like that, weren't you?" Tagaz challenged as he took up his stance.

"Oh my, you're too good," Seth said as he laughed fully. Stephanie could detect a hint of genuine mirth in his voice, before she detected something, subtle, menacing, yet altogether human. Seth seemed to have relaxed, something within him was coming alive, and slowly yet surely, awakening in the thief. "I've had so many people think that the initial bluff was all I wanted. Guess I'll have to add more layers," Seth finally said another chuckle escaping his lips. Tagaz himself smiled at the remark.

"I'll land a blow on you yet..."

"I'll give you the first one free, then you have to pay for the right..." Seth offered.

"Somehow, I don't think that would be at all prudent. Still, first blood to you Dahlios," Tagaz said, respect in his voice. Stephanie could hear the genuine appreciation and mirth in his voice as well, as if something was awakening in him too.

"Not as important as last blood, didn't expect you to get nicked though," Seth replied. Stephanie's eyes widened when she finally noticed it, small yet present was a red stain on the forearm bandages that covered Tagaz's wrist's, his left one to be precise.

"You going to pick up your blades, or what?" Tagaz finally challenged.

"Nah, I like 'em where they are, give the room a homey touch..."

"Very well..." Tagaz said, once more taking up his stance.

[Dissinger]

Seth moved cautiously about the dojo, even as he forced Tagaz onto the defensive. Both men were smiling at this point in the battle, even as the Demon continued to prowl. Finally Tagaz spoke up, "You don't draw your other pair of daggers?"

"Don't want to. In fact if I do, consider that a bad day for you..." Seth countered.

"So those are Ebony and Ivory," Tagaz ventured.

Stephanie continued to watch, before he eyes widened. Seth made no mention or gestured, but the bracelet that covered one of the gauntlets began to expand and coat his arm. Tagaz seemed oblivious to the change even as Seth continued his prowling about the man. Her sensei was merely watching the Lavinian with feigned disinterest. She was tempted to call out, but a predatory gaze from Seth froze her in her spot, her mouth agape. There was another shift in the man, before he swung and arm out, and the chains that had formed where the liquid metal had been stretched out. Tagaz laughed at the ploy before he blocked the chain and gripped it tightly.

The two stood there, one chain caught and the other free, even as Tagaz carefully took up the slack in the chain, making it taut against them. Seth merely kept his gaze on the man before him, before he let a serene smile grace his face. The warrior monk looked to him carefully his head tilted in a pondering form, before he jerked on the chain for all it was worth. Rather than offer any resistance, Seth used the added momentum to slide across the ground, a free hand snatching up a dagger.

This time the man was caught off guard, as Seth swept the legs out from under the warrior with a blow to the back of Tagaz's knee. The man grunted as they collapsed together and the Demon let out a victorious snarl. Seth began to slash wildly even as the chains began to dissipate and go away, the bait having been taken by the unfortunate warrior. Even as he slashed and stabbed, Tagaz maintained composure deflecting blows until he finally had Seth by the throat. The Lavinian dropped his knife as the warrior carefully got to a knee, before he stood up to his full height.

"I forgot, you're a thief, you just dabble in lives rather than the normal form of greed," Tagaz finally said. A few cuts appeared on his skin even he brought his knee up into the gut of the Lavinian. The wind exploded out of the Hex Magi's body and the warrior let a rare smile grace his face as he released Seth. The Lavinian was hunched on the floor before Tagaz. A kick lashed out, and a sickening snap filtered through the air as Seth tumbled across the ground. Blood leaked from the Lavinian's mouth even as a growl of pain left the man's lips.

Freed from the overwhelming presence of Seth's gaze Stephanie narrowed her eyes. Seth had just endured a few of his ribs snapping. There would be no witty remark that could take the sting off that. Further it appeared one of those ribs had punctured a lung. Things were looking bad for the Lavinian who, despite the overwhelming pain stood with a callous grace. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was punctuated by the occasional wet cough, spreading flecks of blood across the dojo.

"It seems," Seth continued to cough for a moment, to the point Tagaz looked worriedly at his opponent before Seth straightened himself and nodded, "I was right..."

"Stand down Dahlios, you aren't Jensen, if you continue on this path, you will die. I had to have broken at least three ribs," Tagaz said firmly before he spoke, "The fact you're even trying to fight is in and of itself impressive. I laud your ability to endure, but for the love of the gods, put an end to this foolishness. This is just a sparring match!"

"Is that what this was to you?" More coughing wracked the demon before he stood up firmly looking at his opponent, "Just some game, that why you got your ass beat by some random monk?"

Stephanie turned to Tagaz, who seemed to darken his face at those words. The loss to Yu stained the warrior badly, to the point that he seldom talked about it. If anything all she knew was that Tagaz had lost, and even now was seeking to gain a rematch with his vaunted foe. Seth's callous mention of it seemed out of place.

"Leave the past out of this Dahlios, you're the one in trouble here. I am merely seeking to not have to explain to your wife, that you don't know when to quit," Tagaz shot back darkly. The fun had quickly left the dojo as the men had suddenly turned serious. Something had happened, in Seth's mind, but finally he was no longer playing with the fight.

"And I'm saying you don't know when to start," Seth countered, another cough causing him to bend over, before in a sickening splash more blood fell upon the dojo floor. Stephanie frowned at the brave act, before she saw Tagaz move forward to attack the still hunched Lavinian. A knee was aiming right for the man's head before the Demon grinned, the look of blood upon his lips adding dementia to the already twisted and sickening smile, "Feel my pain."

Stephanie watched white light flood from the thief before Tagaz stumbled in his rush forward. That misstep was all the Lavinian Demon needed to bring a knife about in a clean blow that brought a slash across Tagaz's back. The only thing keeping the man from death, was the fact he still held the honed reflexes to fall prone when he saw the Demon move with fluid grace. Even wounded, with one lung Seth Dahlios was a worthy foe.

Tagaz shuddered briefly on the floor before Seth brought a boot up in a blow meant to come down on the back of Tagaz's head. The blow would possibly incapacitate the man, but Stephanie couldn't allow that. Seth had used a dirty trick to ensnare her master in a fight to the death, and she couldn't stand by. Moving with a fluid grace all her own, she brought her feet about in a spinning kick that launched the Lavinian off his feet. Seth didn't even make a noise as he hit ground before he growled softly and got to his feet, watching as Stephanie brought one of her legs up. Unlike Tagaz who used his legs for blocking, Stephanie was prepared to fight, though in no condition to do so, having not even warmed up.

"You sure you want to jump in on this bitch? I'll play nice and give you five seconds to get on your knees and beg for mercy, before I decide whether I'm going to kill you slow or fast," Seth hissed. Apparently the coughing was an act, for while the Lavinian had been badly wounded, he let his tongue snake out his mouth, revealing that he had bit his tongue nearly in half. The pain of the ribs was the only thing Tagaz had managed to do, and he had used the blood in his mouth to simulate a worse injury.

[Dissinger]

Stephanie remained in her stance, even as a knife twirled about the Lavinian's hand. The two squaring off before Seth shook his head. Stephanie poked at the thief with a kick, to which the thief didn't even respond, watching as the blow came up just shy of actually hurting him. The hair moved from his face before he tilted his head, a look of consideration upon it. Finally he nodded softly before he spoke, "Slowly, perhaps painfully...that actually hurt a little."

She prodded at the thief with a kick, sliding forward on her back foot to give her the reach necessary to actually connect, only to find that Seth was on the attack already. The kick was blocked on a gauntlet while a punch hit her full in the gut. The gauntlet that had blocked then came down in a hammer blow that saw her seeing stars until a boot was casually placed on her shoulder and shoving her back. Seth snorted before he said firmly, "Should have known, you Jesters are nothing but colossal jokes..." He carefully sheathed a dagger before he held his hand up, "You'd be surprised what you can live through."

Stephanie watched red energy crackle over his skin, dancing wildly through his hair, which joined in the festivities. The Lavinian Demon remained resolute before the woman, even as she looked up in awe at the magicks that flowed through him. He shook his head slowly before he spoke, "God damn children messing with their betters..." With a casual flick of the wrist, the red orb of energy that had formed in his outstretched hand was tossed in her direction, and she was more than certain it was going to hit, before a shot of fire rushed across the floor and collided with the orb between the thief and the assassin. The result was that both of the projectiles had managed to cancel each other out, creating no discernable effect to mark their passing.

"I believe I said your fight was with me Dahlios. She won't interfere again," Tagaz said firmly, even as he stood up from the kneeling position he had risen to in order to accomplish firing his magma shot at Seth. The Demon grinned seeing the source of his enjoyment return, though no true mirth was on his face. It was a mockery of happiness, more of a predators elation at the prey returning, than the joy that came with a life well spent.

"Times up," Seth responded, before he threw out the orb of energy that had barely any time to form. Black energy crackled down his arm, even as he threw it forward at the warrior. Again he outstretched his hands, and again a shot of magma fired forward, allowing the Lavinian Demon a look at the technique before watching his magic halted by the show of magical prowess. "Odd, that's the first I've seen of that happening..."

Stephanie was carefully moving back. Part of her was admonishing the other half over its complete incompetence. The mystique of Seth Dahlios had gotten to her, and the face off with him in such a short span of watching him should have warned her to know better. The other half was just happy that she wouldn't have to explain more than a bruise to Jensen and having gone toe to toe with Seth, even if his dirty tactics had made the fight almost a no contest. She also chided herself on her predictability. She would have to work on varying her attacks when prodding at her opponent, or baiting them when she wanted to be.

She remained close to Tagaz before he spoke sternly, "I believe I said you won't be involving yourself anymore. Are you going to make me a liar?"

"I can't back down now-"

"Are you fighting for pride? Or are you fighting because you need to know. If its the latter, then you can stay at my side, otherwise get out of the way before you get gutted on his blades."

"Listen, you two can have your pow wow all you want. I honestly don't mind, but don't insult me by talking about me like I'm not even here," Seth called forward. Stephanie looked to the demon before she took up her stance standing beside Tagaz. The man looked at her stance only a moment before he nodded.

"Very well. Be careful, he is thinking ahead," Tagaz replied before he moved forward to strike at the thief. Seth was already in action slashing at the man with the metal daggers he had drawn to hurt Stephanie. It seemed whatever reservations he had, went out the window the second that the female Jester had involved herself in the fight. While the two were going at it, Stephanie dropped her foot, moving into a rhythm much like her love. The beat pulsed in her head, even as she began to move erratically right at the Demon, who grinned seeing the two of them coming at him.

"You shouldn't have," The Lavinian snickered even as he moved back. The action forced Stephanie to back off, letting Tagaz take charge of the situation as they nearly collided in their effort to reach the thief. Moving about Seth kept dancing about Tagaz, trading back blows with the man while bringing a knife around and slashing at the man with a sadistic glee. Stephanie found it frustrating that as soon as she had cleared her mentor, Seth was dancing out of reach once more. Tagaz suddenly stopped, moving back a step, exposing the thief to the Jester who, like a coiled snake, struck forward. Lifting her leg up, she fluidly transferred into her water stance and began to spin rotating on an axis as her feet slid up the demon's body.

Seth immediately blocked the kick that would have connected with his chin, even as a grin crossed his face. Grabbing her foot he stopped her forward momentum, only to have her use the foot as a fulcrum and changed the axis of pivot, bringing her foot across the demon's face. He stumbled a step, only to have Tagaz slam into the man's shoulder knee first, rocketing him into the wall, before he slumped against the wall. The two took stance next to each other, with Tagaz's defensive covering for the holes in Stephanie's offensive stance. Both watched the Demon slump against the wall, his daggers falling to the ground, even as he remained still for what seemed forever. Stephanie slowly began to lower her foot, letting it touch the ground, before Tagaz finally followed suit.

"Are you done Demon, or do you wish another round of punishment? Changing the rules of engagement has already angered me enough, I don't think I could hold the both of us back from killing you if you continue this foolish game of pride," Tagaz replied firmly.

The killer's head hung softly in the room, even as the room remained deathly silent. The two fighters waited for some sign that Seth was okay, before they heard it, softly. It rasped across blood stained lips, at first, but Stephanie had heard it more than once. The sound of Laughter, much like Jensen's. It wasn't the laugh of sanity, it was the laugh of a man broken from going too far down a path he never had right to set upon. His shoulders heaved even as he continued to laugh, finally a wet cough cutting off the mocking sound.

[Dissinger]

"I don't get it, what's the joke?" Stephanie finally said a hand resting on her hip as she turned to Tagaz for an explanation. Tagaz merely looked upon the downed Lavinian before he shook his head slowly. Stephanie turned to Seth and finally directed the question at the man she had fought only seconds before.

"I should have knifed her when I had the chance, instead I wanted to toy with her. Goes to show how old this demon is, I don't even have the teeth to take out one of you saps," Seth replied as he leaned against the wall. Soon the sounds of bones cracking could be heard, even as the Lavinian Demon grunted softly in pain. He shook his head before he spoke softly, "Always hurts more on the way out, I guess that's just fate being the fickle bitch she is."

"You nearly had me. If Stephanie had not been able to react, I would have probably eaten the knife you were ready to throw at me for falling back. I must say that was a difficult gambit to make," Tagaz replied while he crossed his arms regarding the thief, who remained down on the ground, resting from the fight.

"The girls quick, I give her that, she just has too much speed for her own good, expects it to carry it through her fights. Reminds me of her boyfriend like that," Seth retorted finally looking her in the eye. It was then Stephanie saw it, life, full and rich reigned in those eyes, that so shortly ago had seemed almost listless. The stormy gray had shined in them so quickly, she had almost forgotten it had never existed in the scant few times she had seen him.

"I should say the same, you seemed reliant on a cloak and dagger technique that had long outlived its usefulness," Stephanie said pointedly. Seth chuckled before he nodded.

"Noticed that did you?"

Tagaz carefully brought a hand to his chin before he nodded, "That is why you aren't concerned about your hands, they are never in jeopardy. Even when I came down upon your wrist, the plates took the brunt of it, and you never gave me an opportunity to capitalize on it.

"Pretty much. It's hard to tell where an attack is coming from when the knife never stays still. Though using your forearms like that was annoying. I could tell you killed all the nerves in your arms and legs the second you let me carve them up like a turkey feast, even Ebony and Ivory weren't doing shit," Seth responded.

"Oh they worked, it was starting to get to a burning feeling by the time we called it off," Tagaz returned as he looked upon his arms. He shook his head before he looked at Stephanie, "I need to see Lady Orlouge for a moment to make sure these don't get infected. Feel free to ask him your questions, I know you have a few."

The warrior padded out of his dojo leaving the two in the room, even as Stephanie looked upon Seth Dahlios. She had so many, and yet they all seemed so mindless, so trivial. Still she finally managed to look upon Seth before she spoke the first one, "Who are you?"

"Seth Dahlios," The curt reply seemed almost rote, and at the same time, seemed more to be a statement to convince the speaker more than the recipient.

"Liar, I just finished fighting Seth Dahlios, you aren't him. This man is far too..." She gestured looking for a word before she finally settled upon one, "Lively. I was told Seth Dahlios was an emotional git that seemed to be more concerned with what he should be doing, than acting."

"Oh that's me too, gods know I had my share of crying in the rain to hide tears," Seth replied before he grabbed the knives and began to sheath them in his belt, grunting as he reached down to pick them up.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes, trying to find the joke in there before she pressed, "Of all the people in the world you involve yourself, marrying a priest?"

"I could say the same, marrying an arrogant jackass?"

"We aren't married-"

Seth cut her off, "Oh please you two have married couple written all over you. It almost makes me and Liliana sick with how sweet you two act."

"That would be saying something considering how you act about her," Stephanie countered.

"Point taken, guess that's why its called being in love," Seth returned before he sat heavily down against the wall again.

"Why do you fight Seth Dahlios? What purpose does all this killing have? Power? Fame?" Stephanie fired at the Lavinian who seemed to grow silent at those words.

"Promised," Seth said finally.

Stephanie leaned forward, "What?"

"He said he promised, perhaps if you cleared your ears, you might understand him better," Tagaz was leaning in the doorframe looking upon the scene before him with a mixture of amusement and concern.

[Dissinger]

“What do you mean you promised?” Stephanie asked, her eyes searching the Lavinian for an answer.

Seth merely held the gaze for awhile before he spoke, “Why are you so concerned with a washed up Hex Magi?”

“Because after that last fight I know that’s anything but true!” Stephanie countered. Tagaz laughed at the display before he spoke firmly;

“You place too much stock on battle skill. I suppose it is to be expected being an assassin for a paramilitary organization dedicated to four gods destined to bring about the world’s destruction.”

Stephanie suddenly felt under scrutiny before she managed, “But, he’s a potential threat, and always has been. I don’t get why he keeps toeing the line if he isn’t committed to being a threat!”

Seth laughed as he raised a knee up before looking up at the Jester. His eyes sparkled with genuine mirth before he spoke, “You truly are a lost little girl aren’t you? Damnit Tagaz, they don’t make adventurers like they used to.”

“I lamented much the same when Jensen brought me into the Knight’s fold. While a few of them have that potential to be like the warriors of old, none of them realize what it takes,” Tagaz reaffirmed.

“I suspected as much when I fought Jensen, but he told me to give his generation a chance. I’m just not seeing it though. I suppose they’ll learn, given time. I wasn’t like this when I first started, I was full of piss and vinegar,” Seth countered.

“Would you guys stop talking about me like I’m not here!” Stephanie replied crossly. She eyed the two warriors before she huffed.

Seth snickered to himself before he spoke, “I suppose I owe you one huge explanation. Probably be for the best, what do you say Tagaz?”

“Perhaps I should explain what I saw when I first met you yesterday?”

“Probably, I’m actually kinda interested myself, call it my ego,” Seth responded.

“Seth, is lost on the path of a warrior. While some progress down it, some merely become killing machines, losing every sense of self. They have to fight to feel alive anymore, and when they do they are vicious in combat. If they decide something has to die, it more often than not dies. I had a friend who had become that and there was little I could do for him other than send him on his way. When he fought, it was like he came alive for a brief while, but the bloodlust and desire to kill would only get stronger and stronger, until it erased what sense of self was left. Eventually it overtakes to the point that he would fight to find an opponent that could make him feel alive again,” Tagaz then gestured to Seth.

“Well put,” Seth responded.

“Wait, you mean to tell me you’re some kind of psychopath?” Stephanie asked.

“Bit more than that, but it’s a sound judgment,” Seth responded.

“What’s left that doesn’t make you just psychotic?”

“My reason for fighting,” Seth responded in turn.

“What was the promise?”

“Have a seat, this is going to take awhile…”

[Dissinger]

“What do you know about me Steph?” Seth said casually gesturing to the jester. Stephanie Odara eyed the Lavinian demon with a bit of distaste before she sighed and placed a hand on her forehead and began reciting what she was taught;

“Seth Dahlios, Male Human from Lavinya. Son of Karel Dahlios and Helena Dahlios, nephew of Melina Dahlios, Avatar of Pestilence. Capable of wielding the family magic known as Hex Magic, he is a fully awakened Rogue Magi that is seen as a class S threat. Should he wish he has the capabilities of not only bringing upon a victim the full might of his heritage, but the lost relic of the Changeling Amulet. I still don’t know how you got Melina’s amulet, but that is Knight Property,” Stephanie said firmly.

“Tracked it down, bitch and a half too. Apparently someone broke into one of your little forts and stole it, who then sold it and the noble it belonged to put it in a museum. From there is was easier for me to just steal it than waylay the delivery boy. Keep going,” Seth replied.

“That’s about it, that’s all Jesters are told about you. That you’re a descendant of Melina and that we should treat you as a threat since Melina had the same skill set and equipment you did. The only reason we aren’t sent after you, is you lost your taste for violence and chaos…” Stephanie countered.

“I didn’t lose it, I promised to not let it consume me…” Seth said firmly.

Stephanie froze hearing those words before she cocked her head, “What?”

“Listen, take a seat, you got a bit of back story to hear. When I was a kid growing up I had a best friend. Thomas Derringer, he was one of my best friends growing up, and we used to talk for hours about what we’d do when we turned sixteen. Well day finally came and we found ourselves on opposite sides of the war for Lavinya. He was a member of the Town Guard, and I was a Lavinian Thief. You do the math on how well he took that one…”

“I can only imagine.”

“We had a couple of arguments, they turned to fights, finally we got to the point that we just, stopped talking. I had made new friends to replace him, and that was all that mattered in my mind. If Thomas was going to be so short sighted as to ignore the fact he was a Trademaster lapdog, then I was going to leave him to barking loudly and chasing after shadows.”

“That didn’t happen did it?”

“Catch on quick, might be hope for you after all,” Seth said a sarcastic grin crossing his lips. Tagaz snorted as he gestured.

“You’re wasting time thief, I got class in an hour and I wish to have this place somewhat cleaned by the time they file in,” Tagaz grumbled.

“Have them clean it, call it a good warm up for the day,” Seth countered.

“The story?”

“Oh, yeah,” Seth replied sheepishly before he scratched behind his head, “Well, eventually my girlfriend at the time got caught. I tried to get him to protect her. Not even break her out, just keep her safe, since there was a small group of the guard who was known for raping any girl thief that got caught. Guess they figured if they were going to hang they could get their jollies. Guy cut me off, told me it wasn’t his problem. Walked off on me, and well, things were never the same after that. I eventually had to leave town and sure enough, one of the guards sent to go after me was my old friend Thomas.”

Silence reigned in the room.

“We fought, bitterly. I don’t know how much you know about Lavinya, but the guard train with footmen’s pikes. Little spears that allow them to brace for a charge, making them effective infantry against cavalry, or annoying for dexterous thieves. We probably fought for what felt like hours, yelling cursing and generally venting every ounce of anger and hatred. I betrayed him, he betrayed me, we genuinely went at it with a ferocity I think only Jensen and Arcus could match. At the outset he wounded me, and like today, I played hurt, bad. He came up and got a knife in the heart for his troubles. My first kill was my own best friend.”

“He could hardly be called your friend if he was trying to kill you,” Stephanie offered.

“At the end of the fight, we stood there for what seemed like forever. We just looked at each other before he spoke, never forgot those words to this day,” Seth replied.

“What were they?”

“A promise, he asked me to promise him I would never be so consumed by my hate, that I would do something I’d regret again…” Seth finally said. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes before he spoke, “You know Angel, it’s bad form to eavesdrop, you can come in now, I’m all better for now.”

[Dissinger]

“One would hardly call nearly getting yourself killed ‘all better again’, but thank you all the same,” Liliana said as she stepped forward. The young priestess entered the room with a casual grace as Tagaz and Stephanie looked between the two. Liliana was looking upon Seth with an appraising look before she spoke, “So, you going to tell them when you broke that promise?”

“Did it twice actually,” Seth countered.

Stephanie looked between the two before Liliana sighed, “Seth isn’t what you’d call a normal human. Hex Magic, is a dangerous way of gaining power, but to enact it requires that you have the proper elements in alignment. The more aligned the body is to Hex Magic, the stronger the effect. At least, this is what Seth tells me. He also tells me that his malice and hatred, is merely enhanced by the corruption this magic creates in it’s users. It’s an addicting high, and the after effects are always bloodshed.”

“Sometimes, a Hex Magi will carry on the after effects for far longer than anticipated. Wild Hex Magi are more prone to snapping out of the funk, but those who are raised and trained by the Traitor Generals of Reven, learn to succumb completely to it, and in doing so reach the depths of depravity that I even balk at. They give into their sins so wholly that they begin to sin in greater and stronger numbers. Eventually the weight of their sins causes a spiritual corruption that erases all sense of self from the person, and they become the perfect tool for a madman who had long lost his sanity to Pride.”

“The Dread Magician Mordechai, original Seventh Traitor General of Reven,” Stephanie supplied.

Tagaz snorted before he gestured, “Go on, finish the lesson. I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to.”

“Seth’s year of Carnage, the one that earned him the moniker of the Lavinian Demon was an example of one such aftereffect. He gave in wholly to the magic for the briefest of moments and lost all control of himself. For one year he went around Althanas seeking more power to consolidate his position, before he would eventually receive the call to return to Haven, last bastion of the Traitor Generals. I made the mistake of trying to stop him, before he attacked me, and left me with this as a present,” Liliana explained, she then carefully peeled her shirt back to reveal a long jagged scar on her shoulder blade.

“Around that time I began to look for ways to stop corrupting my soul. I went deep into Haidia and eventually failed at the moment I was to gain all the power I could ever want. After that failure I made the last mistake I’ll ever regret,” Seth replied softly.

“Your parents,” Tagaz said firmly. Seth nodded.

“It was like waking up, I remember that much. Like a fog that had clouded my vision forever had finally cleared. I awoke and found both my parents brutally murdered. I knew who had done it, as much as I railed against it, I tried so hard to prevent that final bit of sin. Between Liliana and my Parents, I finally gained the discipline and iron will to resist the urges, but they do grow stronger. It’s just the product of corruption on my soul, something I’ll be dealing with for a long time.”

“That doesn’t answer the question of why you fight!”

“Because I let him fight,” Liliana replied looking at Stephanie. The Jester’s eyes darted to Liliana before she frowned. The priestess met her gaze unflinchingly before she turned to Seth, ”Your daughter is enjoying some food in the mess hall, if you wipe your face you might actually look like you haven’t been indulging in your murderous nature. I’ll tell her you are on the way, and that we should eat slowly, that Cassandra has been keeping you busy.”

“Works as good as any Lie,” Seth replied as he stretched, “Well this was a good as any conversation. I got to be all emotional, got to get some confession time, I think this was a good practice. Thanks Tagaz I think I learned something today.”

“And just what is that?”

“Don’t give Steph a chance to protect your flank.”

[Breaker]

Mood: Chilly
Music: Anti-Venom by Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker

If you'd like me to get more specific/elaborate on the foundation of my comments here, feel free to contact me via AIM or PM.

Story ~ 6/10
You're a good story teller, but you were obviously focused on other things than building a compelling storyline in this quest. It would have helped a lot to have a better introduction of Tagaz/Stephanie/the IK, to set the stage a little bit, and you need to be aware of the line between building tension and just confusing the reader. At times your posts made me wonder what would happen next, while at other times they seemed needlessly opaque and would have dissuaded me from continuing.

Continuity ~ 4/10
Aside from the Dahlios history lesson in the latter half of the quest, little in this thread connected it to the rest of Althanas. Overall it failed to situate the reader, and looking at this as a standalone story (which we always do) the references to IK and Jensen Ambrose were meaningless. If you had included some early interaction between Tagaz and Steph which helped to establish what/who the IK/Jensen is, it would have added a lot of depth to the references you made throughout the story.

Setting ~ 5/10
I never forgot where I was, but the setting never seemed original or came to life either. When writing in generic locations (a gym, a pub, an inn, a forest) it helps to focus on the details which make that particular location different. In this case the initial description could have been much more interesting with regards to exactly what the fighters were doing, what their training equipment was made from, etc. I may mention this again, but you often fell into the trap of telling rather than showing. It is very basic to provide a list of items in a room; it is much more interesting when each of those items is used for something by someone. Even if you feel you have done a sufficient job of a describing a location, you can always reinforce it by personifying it.

Creativity ~ 7/10
You had some nice literary devices, but they petered out in the latter half of the quest, and frankly many of them felt somewhat forced. The unfortunate thing is that you regularly miss excellent opportunities to bring the setting to life, and you have the skills to do so. Often when you use words like "was", you could reorganize the sentence to add imagery such as personification. Finding the natural places in your writing to add metaphors will not only make it flow better, but add more than a forced simile.

Character ~ 6/10
Considering how comfortable you were writing all of these characters, I found it surprising how little I learned about each of them (not including Seth, obviously.) My notes on interaction will help this, but I feel the style of the story also influenced it. The characters didn't come off like real people acting in their own best interest - most of the time I was very aware I was reading a story with clear intentions that influenced their behavior.

Interaction ~ 5/10
First is a simple note against the past participles "was" and "were". These words have their place, but you overuse them. A fine example is Seth's entrance - the hat was tossed, the jacket was flung. This reads much better as "he tossed the hat, he flung the jacket" - especially considering you can add more this way. The main difference though is that "he tossed the hat" gives a clear mental image of someone tossing a hat, whereas "the hat was tossed" is purely an informational statement (telling rather than showing).

The other major issue here, which also brought down your character score, is that the characters became talking heads during dialogue. I got really sick of seeing "he replied" or "he said firmly" at the end of sentences. When real people talk, they do things. So rather than telling me that someone spoke firmly, show me what he does with his body and voice, so I'll know he spoke firmly. In this way you can also keep setting alive and present throughout interactions.

Strategy ~ 6.5/10
I enjoyed the first post in which Seth fought Tagaz, but after that the action became difficult to follow as often as not. Keeping the majority of your action in active voice (avoiding "was, were, had") will help this, as will using less thickening words (began, continued, very) and weak adjectives. Active verbs describe action best, so focus on having as many of them as possible and fewer adjectives. I feel that you are an excellent writer whose style needs some tweaking, and with your permission I may use posts from this thread as content for lessons in the WW, let me know if that's cool. The main thing you can do to increase the flow of your action sequences is to edit them diligently.

Clarity ~ 6/10
While I could usually understand what was happening, my mental image was never crystal clear, and there were times where I got confused as to exactly what was going on, or why. Basically you need to edit better, and this score will come up.

Mechanics ~ 7.5/10
There were a handful of varied mistakes scattered throughout your posts, but nothing that you don't know how to fix if you proofread properly. I find the difference between great writing and decent writing is often the editing process, and in order to improve your skills you will need to analyze your own work rather than just spellchecking and going through the motions.

Wildcard ~ 6/10
Parts I enjoyed, parts I wished had more in them, and parts that bored me. Overall a good read and a decent history lesson on Seth Dahlios.

Total: 59/100

Dissinger receives 1500 EXP and 100 GP

[Silence Sei]

Exp-GP added.