Twisted minds (open to one)

[Eathanos]

(OOC: Warning to those who read this post this may contain adult themes as well as partial nudity and sexual referances)

Eathanos walked the big city to which he was completely unaccustomed. There were to many people to many noises things were overwhelming him. Eathanos just started to run to escape from where he was and all the people surrounding him. The big city was just to much for him to deal with at the moment when all he wanted to find was the purple haired Wood Elf of which rumors had come to Eathanos that he might be here.

As he Ran through the streets he became distressed and clumsy in his actions and ran right into someone. Eathanos berated himself internally for his folly. He quickly got up and attempted to help up the heavily robed person he had knocked down.

“I most sincerely apologize I should not of been running like that through the crowded streets,” Said Eathanos as he realized he had knocked over a monk of some kind.

“Please forgive me I meant no offence by my actions,” Eathanos said bowing to the man.

The older monk chuckled to himself, “I have never seen one in such a hurry to get himself into a fight.”

Eathanos was startled by the monks statement. It took him slightly off guard to think that perhaps this monk could read his vengeful thoughts.

Eathanos spoke slowly, “How is it you know what I have come here seeking?”

The monk replied with a boisterous laugh, “Is it not what everyone comes seeking when they come to the citadel?”

Now Eathanos was really confused, “What do you mean brother? I come here seeking a purple haired Elf that would look somewhat like me.”

The monks face grew grim upon hearing the specific target of a person, “Why would you seek such a person and for what means?”

Eathanos reached back into his memories into a painful place in his mind and heart, “He is the man who killed my parents and was part of the army which destroyed my village my wife and my children.”

The monk became sad upon hearing this awful tale. While it was policy to never allow the targeting of an individual due to possible assassination attempts this elf deserved justice for what had happened to he and his people.

“Follow me and I will see if we can find your purple haired elf,” Spoke the monk as he walked towards a great stand with many other monks within it.

Eathanos followed the monk and stood outside the ring as the monk he had spoken too went among the others and talked with them. After a few minuets the monk came back to Eathanos.

“I apologize from the depths of my heart but it seems you have missed him by more then a few weeks and he has left the city,” said the monk.

Eathanos hung his head in defeat. He would have to pick up a very cold trail and find where the elf had gone.

The monk spoke again, “I warn you while he was here he defeated a great many warriors and was the victor of them all. He was a great fighter well beyond your skill. Please, stay here a while and train yourself for the day you would meet him in battle. You can stay here while you search for news of where he might of gone.”

Eathanos thought the proposal over for a moment. Staying in a monastery would be a lot less complicated then trying to stay in one of these crowded and dirty city taverns.

“I accept your proposal brother on the condition that you and the other monks will keep your ears open for news of mine enemy as well,” said Eathanos knowing what the answer would be.

“Of course we shall help you in your quest but first. We must train you in the ways of combat. How about something simple to start with and put you in your element as a ranger,” said the monk as he smiled and turned to lead Eathanos down to what looked to be a magic room.

As the monk opened the doors it reveled a large open meadow hundreds of yards wide with bright sunlight glaring down upon them.

The monk stood at the door and ushered Eathanos inside, “Wait here and I shall find a combatant to join you shortly.”

Eathanos explored his surroundings finding that the sun light was coming from the east and thus he went in that direction so the sun would be at his back blinding any that would attempt to look at him from the hundred or so yards from the gate where he took his position at.

Eathanos knocked a single pheasant feather arrow and waited.

[Lady Scarlet]

Scarlet strode through the streets of Radasanth with one hand resting on the hilt of her sword. At her side walked her friend and mentor, Nelson. He was rambling on about things they needed to and some ideas he’d had for making some money, but the ship-less captain wasn’t listening. She longed to feel the deck of a ship rolling across the seas beneath her again. She and Nelson had been stuck on Corone for several months. Thus far, she’d been unable to find any of her old crew and had not yet been able to make enough money to buy a new ship. Not that she was opposed to simply stealing a ship. She just didn’t have the manpower to accomplish that as of yet.

She paused as she and her companion came abreast of the Citadel. It had been a very long time since she’d crossed blades with anyone. And though she wasn’t typically much of a fighter, preferring to ride on her reputation and let her crew handle the fighting, she was still in need of being able to take care of herself. Without a word to Nelson, the red-haired woman turned and started up the stairs.

“Scarlet! What are you doing?”

“What does it look like, Nelson? I’m going to go fight a battle or two. I’m tired of doing odd jobs and I’m frustrated. I need to work it out of my system. Besides, I need the practice anyway.”

Nelson, who would have been the first mate if Scarlet had a ship, sighed and scratched his balding head. It appeared that Scarlet was in one of her moods. He’d watched the young woman grow up from the time she was a child and though he didn’t think this was a good idea, he also knew that it would be pointless to tell her so. Wearily, he followed the petite woman he called captain up the stairs to the Citadel while muttering to himself about headstrong young women and what the world was coming to.

Scarlet scarcely slowed for Nelson to catch up. She moved nimbly up the stairs and went inside. Nelson would be fine by himself for a little while. She spoke to a monk and was quickly led down the hall and to a door. She thanked the man politely, fixed her black hat with its white plume atop her head and carefully entered the room.

A meadow? But we’re inside…

Having never fought in the Citadel before, she had been unaware of just how true the stories she’d heard of the arenas actually were. She drew her sword and stepped forward boldly. A light breeze ruffled her white dress. Long in back, the dress came to just above her knees in front so her legs would not be impeded in a fight or climbing rigging. Her knee-high black boots made no noise on the soft, lush, green grass as she crossed the meadow. Bright green eyes, accustomed to the brightness of the sun at sea searched carefully for her opponent.

“I know you are here!” she called out in a friendly tone, “Come on out and show yourself!”

[Eathanos]

Eathanos watched as the figure brazenly enter their arena and draw her sword. The only reason Eathanos could tell it was a woman from this distance was because she was wearing a dress of a rather unique make. Something that his wife would of done simply to show off her legs.

Eathanos sighted his arrow and made sure to aim carefully as he did not want to kill the woman or even injure her right off. What would be the purpose in cutting down your enemies before they could even see you coming or have the chance to mount a defense in practice like this.

Eathanos loosed the arrow and watched as it arced across the distance. The arrow made no noise until it struck her hat and whipped it off of her head.

“Look no further my lady I am right here,” Abraxos shouted loud enough for her to hear. “May I introduce myself? I am Eathanos, last Bosmer of my tribe and huntsmen of the world.”

Eathanos took a wide bow. As he straightened himself he knocked another arrow and prepared to draw if the need came.

“Are you ready and fit for a match?” Eathanos asked being as polite as he could.

[Lady Scarlet]

Scarlet stopped in her tracks as her hat flew neatly off her head. Scowling, she bent, picked up her hat and pulled the arrow from the hat. After straightening the white feather, she settled the hat back onto her head and tossed the arrow aside.

“Actually, no, I like to see my opponents before I fight them. Besides, you’re at a rather advantageous position. What fun is it to shoot a little ol’ arrow at me from your hiding place? Come out and face me!”

She looked in the direction the arrow had come from and smiled slyly, “Unless of course, you’re afraid to fight a woman face to face?”

She looked around as she waited an answer, squinting and shielding her eyes with one hand as she took in the sweet scent of the long grass. The ground rolled gently and she could see no holes to be wary of. That didn’t mean they weren’t there of course, just that they weren’t obvious. She started moving in the direction the arrow had come from, listening intently for any sound of movement from her as of yet unseen opponent. The idea of simply running toward where she thought he might be occurred to her, but she thought better of that. She held her sword at angle across her chest, using the flat of the blade to protect her heart as much as the thin blade could.

"Oh, and my name is Lady Scarlet."

[Eathanos]

Eathanos couldn’t believe the response he had garnered from this woman. She was impugning his honor even after he asked if she was ready giving her the opportunity to gather herself.

Leaving his arrow knocked in the bow but releasing the tension he had drawn he walked forward in a ready stance prepared for any kind of witchery that might come from the woman named Scarlet. Eathanos noted everything about this woman, how she walked, how she moved, how she held her sword. She was on a guarded stance knowing that she was not in a place as it stood where she could win.

Eathanos felt in a giving mood. After all what challenge is there in shooting down your enemy before they can even know you are there if all your trying to do is train yourself for a real battle.

Once within 20’ of the woman named scarlet with his shadow falling directly on her face so that he knew her eyes were shielded from the sun and she could clearly see him he stopped into a ready stance and drew is bow some putting tension on it.

“I fear no person on this world be they woman or man Ms. Scarlet,” spat Eathanos. “You have seen my face and now know who you are fighting. There is no need to hold your blade as such for if I were to strike at your heart it would not be with my arrows.”

Eathanos eyed her dress the slip of the thing that it was. It hugged her body barely covering anything at all. He noted that the only things keeping it held up were the two shoulder straps and the sword belt at her side.

I’m going to have to fix that now aren’t I, thought Eathanos to himself as he spoke. “By your leave Ms. Scarlet”

Eathanos gave a shallow bow as he spoke but kept his eye on the woman.

[Lady Scarlet]

A small smile played about Scarlet’s red lips as she carefully began circling her opponent. She kept her guarded stance as she moved slowly in a counter clockwise direction. Her opponent seemed to be well in his element with his bow. He had a firm grasp and stance and followed her movements smoothly. The tail of her dress rustled softly against the long grass as she moved.

“A bow? Are you seriously going to use a bow in this fight? Come, draw your steel and face me like a man! I’m sure you’re quite good with that bow, but if you’re here, surely you seek to better yourself. You do have a sword, right?”

Very slowly, she moved in a step, tightening her circle just a bit as she continued her taunts. She could see no sword or even daggers, but that didn't really mean anything. For all she knew, he could have a magic scabbard that made his steel weapons invisible.

“But perhaps you are not as good as you appear? Perhaps it is your bow that you need practice with and not a sword? This won’t be much of fight if all you do is pincushion me with arrows.”

Another step forward as she circled and she now had eighteen feet between her and the archer. She kept moving in a circle, watching him intently, waiting for the telltale signs that he was about to completely draw and release his arrow. Her tone became more derogatory as she smirked. The distance between them was steadily closing in. He would either have to shoot soon or draw his steel, because in a few minutes she would be too close to make the bow a practical weapon.

“Tell me, if I slice at that pretty little bow of yours, will it stand up against the blade? Perhaps you can use it as a staff. I rather doubt it since it’s so thin, but I’m sure you could try.”

She smirked and winked as she closed the distance to sixteen feet. Never once did she allow her eyes to be distracted from the elf. She’d completed her first circle by now and was working on a second slow circle. When the sun had been at her back, she’d finally gotten a good look at him and was pleasantly surprised to see just how good he looked. His shadow over her face had done nothing to help her see him better. With the sun at his back, all that had done was make him appear as solid shadow.

THUNK!

An arrow hit the ground by her foot.

“Stop that, you’re making me dizzy," he said as he nocked another arrow.

She laughed at this, stopped and set herself. This would have to be close enough.

“Or perhaps you’re not here to truly fight at all. Perhaps you just wanted to meet a girl? There are easier ways to meet girls you know, other than trying to kill them. That usually puts a damper on things.”

Anxious to actually start fighting, Scarlet stepped forward quickly, taking a wide-stance 3-point turn, to cover most of the rest of the space between them. The skirt of her dress flared out from her hips as she spun and swirled gently around her ankles as she came to a stop, sword outstretched, pointing directly at his throat. The tip was about three feet from his throat. Plenty of space for him to move, but yet still close enough to hopefully force him to cast aside his bow.

“Now, are you done playing? Or do you need to get rid of a few more arrows first?”

[Eathanos]

Eathanos smiled at this girls’ ignorance. Humans really were foolish. They still think they can beat a fighter who is both more skilled and faster than they are.

“If you insist on being so foolish as to believe you could defeat me at close range then perhaps you deserve this,” Eathanos said as he took three steps back placing his bow back in its quiver holster.

Eathanos slowly drew his short sword accentuating every move he made, reflecting the sun off of his sword and onto Scarlet’s face. As the sun flashed in her eyes he secretively drew his stone throwing dagger.

“Your lesson my lady, ready or not,” Eathanos said right before jumping into the air using his lightning speed. He launched himself at the woman with his short sword in a guard position as he launched his stone dagger for her foot hoping to pin her in place.

[Lady Scarlet]

Finally!

As he backed away and put his bow in its place, she drew her sword in toward herself. She stood with her feet should-width apart, prepared to move in any direction. Her ploy to get him to switch to his sword she’d assumed he owned had worked and she hoped she would not be disappointed in the battle that was finally going to start. As she had hoped, he drew a sword, similar in length to her own.


Now let’s see if he can actually use that thing…

She smiled craftily to herself. She knew she was not the best with a sword, but if his first choice of weapon was a bow, it was not likely that he was as skilled with the sword. Her green eyes watched him closely, barely flinching as he tried to blind her with the sun’s reflection. She had grown up with the sun glinting off the sea into her eyes. It was a good trick and it would have worked on someone that wasn’t accustomed to waves throwing flashes of light into her face at random intervals.

“Lesson?” she asked as she stepped back and to the side, careful but sure so she would not trip on the slight rolls in the field. She slashed horizontally at him as he landed. “And what lesson is it that you think you can teach me?”

A few birds swooped through the sky overhead, uncaring of the battle that was unfolding beneath them as they chirped in joyous rapture of flight.

[Eathanos]

Eathanos thought she was rather slow in the head to not notice the dagger flying for her foot as she spoke. He hurtled toward the ground to dodge her blow and brought his sword across where her throat was moving as fast as he could. A smile spread from his lips as he brought his sword to bear.

[Lady Scarlet]

Scarlet moved quickly, bring her sword up to deflect his slash. The crystal clear ring of steel meeting steel rang across the field, startling several birds from the tree Eathanos had been hiding in when she first entered the arena. However, she did not stop with a simple parry. She pushed his blade away with her own and spun a few feet away. Smiling she beckoned to him with her free hand.

"Come and get me. You are quite fast, but speed isn't everything."

Her bright green eyes focused on him as the light breeze tossed her scarlet curls. He was indeed very fast. Faster, even, than she had expected. She knew what she had told him was true though. Speed was not everything. You also needed to know precisely what you were doing and where your blade was at all times. He would be quite the challenge and she loved that more than anything. She would try not to kill him. Despite the fact the monks would revive him as though nothing had happened, she saw no reason to kill someone who was not her enemy. As conceited as the elf seemed to be, he was merely a temporary training partner, not an enemy.

[Eathanos]

Eathanos got off the ground and stood. He was surprised she managed to parry his attack. Eathanos ran his thumb along his sword where there was a slight nick in his blade. He turned the blade over in his hand so as to strike with the undamaged side.

Eathanos replied to her remark, “You seem to have a bit of skill yourself.”

Eathanos then quickly did a rolling jump to his side to pick his dagger out of the ground. He quickly got to a kneeling position with his sword and dagger in a defensive position giving him enough time to reacquire his target.

[Lady Scarlet]

Scarlet rolled her eyes at his acrobatics. Such things did not impress her. Especially when they were not needed. She tossed her head, clearing stray locks of hair from her shoulders.

"I'm still waiting. Are you going to attack? If not, I'll just leave and find an opponent who is willing to come at me."

She watched him carefully as she waited defensively. She was starting to regret this fight. She'd given him the opportunity to attack, but instead merely moved to pull his dagger from the ground. The sun had risen higher through their fight and she was grateful for the wide-brimmed hat she wore. It allowed her to see her opponent, despite the brightness of the sun.

[Eathanos]

Eathanos knew Scarlet was only trying to bait him into an angry attack. He wasn’t going to fall for it. But maybe just maybe he could trick her into thinking he had.

Eathanos charged fast and hard letting loose a loud shout, “You arrogant pain in the ass.”

He threw his dagger aiming for the middle of her chest and launched into an diagonal slash from left shoulder to right hip while bringing his right leg forward for a trip

[Lady Scarlet]

Scarlet sighed. Why did men always seem to think that getting suddenly angry-sounding and yelling was going to help? Yes, she was a woman, but she had faced rival pirates, navy ships, and hurricanes and come through unscathed. Charging suddenly did not scare her, neither did yelling. They moved at practically the same time. At his first step, she leaned backward, allowing the knife to sail through the air where her chest had been a moment before. She continued on this path until her hands touched the ground and she pulled her feet up and over in a backflip, kicking her feet out straight for one moment partway through in the hopes of kicking him in the face.

He has no finesse at all. It's no wonder he started with his bow.

"I am arrogant? Look at the pot calling the kettle black. You are more arrogant than I could ever hope to be. I am tired of this fight and I will not bother with it anymore. Come and find me when you can do more than charge, yell, and throw a knife," she told him derisively as she backed away from him.

"MONKS!" she cried out loudly. "This battle is a draw. I wish to leave immediately."

The air shimmered briefly and when she glanced behind her she smiled. An exit door had appeared. She backed up to it and reached behind her with her free hand to open it.

"Good bye, Archer. I would say it's been a pleasure, but I only lie when it is absolutely necessary."

With that she turned the handle, opened the door and slipped out quickly. The loud slamming of the door echoed across the plain as Scarlet walked down the halls of the Citadel. She was sorely vexed. She had come looking for a proper fight, but had not gotten anything like what she had hoped for. She found her first mate waiting in the lobby.

On seeing her, Nelson got to his feet, opened his mouth to speak, and raised one finger to admonish her, but then saw the angry light in her green eyes. He immediately closed it again and followed her out of the Citadel. He had thought this a bad idea from the start and as much he wanted to know what had happened to anger her so, he was wise enough to wait until she had at least visibly calmed down. He didn't expect that to be any time soon.

[Duffy]

Twisted Minds Judgement
Condensed/Score Rubric


Commentary available upon request, or through contacting the appropriate judge. In the interest of dispute resolution score only was presented.

Lady Scarlet

Plot ~ 16/30

Storytelling ~ 5/10 –
Setting ~ 5/10 –
Pacing ~ 7/10 –

Character ~ 16/30

Communication ~6 /10 -
Action ~ 5/10 -
Persona ~ 5/10 -

Prose ~ 15/30

Mechanics ~ 4/10 –
Clarity ~ 6/10 –
Technique ~ 5/10 –

Wildcard: 7/10

Total ~ 54/100

Eathanos

Plot ~ 9/30

Storytelling ~ 3/10 –
Setting ~ 2/10 –
Pacing ~ 4/10 –

Character ~ 11/30

Communication ~ 4/10 -
Action ~ 4/10 -
Persona ~ 3/10 -

Prose ~ 11/30

Mechanics ~ 3/10 –
Clarity ~ 5/10 –
Technique ~ 3/10 –

Wildcard: 2/10

Total ~ 33/100


Spoils:

Lady Scarlet gains 500 xp and 150 gold.

Eathanos gains 100 xp and 25 gold.