The Hunter of the Cavern

[Burly Knuckles]

The beating of hooves over the dunes was surprisingly muted. Though Iblis pounded each step as her muscles surged forward with the gallop, the soft sand under her hooves and the shrill cry of the howling desert winds stifled the noise. Her rider squinted through the slat in his masked turban, his face carefully veiled against the pervasive winds. Though sand slapped against the pair, dragged harsly like a stream by the winds, they continued onward towards the small set of rocky hills ahead. Small plumes of reddish-orange sand kicked up behind the rushing steed as they moved over a large dune, a reddish swelling like a giant blister on the earth. The wind changed direction as they made it past the dune, the air current channeled between mounds of the grapefruit-colored sands. It cut in sharply from the right, and brought the heat of the desert plain with it. Paj winced as he tucked his right shoulder up and tipped his head away from the wind. It was a slap of heat across his right side akin to having a torch passed over him, and he turned his face just in time to avoid the hot current dragging burning sands into his eyes. He held the reins tightly as he steered Iblis onward, spurring her with a loud shout and a flick of the leather straps.

"Hya!"

The pair navigated past the last set of dunes and Paj leaned up in the saddle, squeezing his legs slightly as he tugged gently on the reins. Iblis' gallop began to slow to a trot, the proud filly raising her legs high with each step. It was almost as if she had an ego of her own and thought she was a regal, elegant member of nobility. The rider and his horse slowed further, coming to a stop in the foothills of the large rolling landscape of rocks in front of them. The red sands contrasted sharply against the light gray rocks that they were buffetting, looking almost like fresh blood on the skin of a pale corpse. A small groove was formed between two rocks as they led down into a gully. It was here that two figures stood in silence. They were around Paj's size, and each was clad in a deep brown robe with black stitching running the edges and sleeves in a traditional Delkan design. A large hood came over each of their heads, and concealed their faces behind a veil of darkness that sheltered them from the heat and winds. The hoods each turned to the approaching rider, darkness looking up at him.

"You are here for the competition?" A raspy male voice croaked eerily from inside the hood to the left.

Paj's brow bunched beneath the linen of his turban and he nodded affirmatively. "Competition... Prahna'dyuta. Haj kyrmai suura im sha Idnystar Cimenalthos."*

The hoods nodded, the one to the right responding with an equally raspy but distinctly female voice creeping from its dark void. "Chaarishk Vajramushti.... ro shiikye jhus. Prevt'ish hur xentia?"*

The hoods couldn't see the sour face Paj made beneath his mask, even his eye hiding his discontent.

I don't need a partner, and especially not an Outsider. But they won't allow me to face the champion alone...

"Ir nus vahai."*

Paj dismounted Iblis, leading her over to a small sapling nearby. It was a few feet from the mouth of a dark cavern, a cavern that loomed like the mouth of a great beast waiting to swallow them whole. The cavern would be their battlefield, and it was one where the champion had the advantage. Paj eyed the darkness of the cave cautiously as he tied up his horse, as if awaiting a wild animal to leap out upon them. Turning back, he was surprised to see a pair of black hands jussting out from the shadowed folds of the male figure's robes. Between the two hands rest a chestnut wood box with a brightly polished brass clasp on the front. Looking curiously, Paj pushed the top of the box open slightly, peeking inside. Resting on a bed of dyed vlint cloth was two pair of knuckledusters: one was a standard 'brass knuckles', the other was a wooden set with small round iron pins sticking up from the knuckles. Paj just scoffed, chortling beneath the fabric of his mask. These were basically trainer knuckledusters, low end weapons out for loan during Prahna'dyuta. Reaching within the folds of his lungi, the vajramushti fighter pulls out his own bone knuckleduster, holding it up and shaking his head to the robed figures.

"Ir jassam wyr makki."*

With a slight bow from them, the box slid back into the darkness of the male figure's robe. All three of them turned, looking back out to the dunes, awaiting the arrival of Paj's partner for this competition.

Translations:

"Competition... I've come to challenge Idnystar Cimenalthos for the Prahna'dyuta competition."

"The Vajramushti Champion... he awaits inside. Where is your partner?"

"I don't know."

"I brought my own."

[The Archer]

Fallien. Seth Ad'huast had come to Fallien on the simple principle of keeping his mate out of trouble. His original intent had been to lead a platoon of soldiers against some heretical cult, but the desert heat a ruthless sand storm had gotten the better of him just outside of Jya's Keep. Fortunately for him, the paperwork letting him be in Fallien itself had been taken care of...without his Outlander's Pass on him, he was pretty sure that it wouldn't have been pleasant for him when the moon had turned from new to waxing, and he'd changed from man to beast.

Thankfully in the hours before moonrise, Seth, then as normal-looking as a man with two eyes of different colors could, had had the presence of mind to request that he be put alone in a locked room. His request had been met, and he had transformed and Raged in the safety of solitary confinement. He just hadn't been released after his guards saw the change he'd gone through. The Fallien people were very xenophobic, after all.

Could be worse, the werefox thought as he trudged through the burning golden sands between two hardy guards. I could have kept quiet, gone into a Rage around others, killed some people, and been killed myself. Now the lycanthropic archer was being given an opportunity to redeem himself -- in combat. Another boon for him was the setting. From what he understood, Vajramushti took place in a cavern system, meaning that the sun wouldn't be giving him heat stroke.

When they got to the mouth of the cave, Seth's shackles were unbound and he shook out his thick ruff. "Whoo, it's hot out here." He looked at the collection of people standing in front of him and felt his tail swish back and forth nervously. "Hi, I'm Seth. I...have an appointment?"

Suddenly, a box was thrust at him and opened. Lying inside was a set of brass knuckles that wouldn't fit him, and a thick leather band with iron spikes jutting out. On its loosest setting, it would just fit, so he grabbed that and slipped it over his right hand. "Erm...thank you," he said as the figure retreated to the shade cast by the cave's opening.

His ears perked forward as he turned his attention to the impatient man waiting alone. He too wore a set of knuckledusters, only his were bone. Seth grinned, padding up to the dark man. He wasn't really surprised that he towered over his partner; the Fallien people were kinda short, on average. It would give him a disadvantage traveling in narrow places, but an advantage in reach and weight. He'd just have to remember to not bite.

"Hi," he said, holding out his unadorned left hand to his partner. "I'm Seth. Looks like we're working together today."

[Burly Knuckles]

The outsider had approached under cautious eyes from Paj. The man- or creature as it were- stood nearly a head taller than the Fallian native, who's pale blue eyes stared out from the slat in his turban. Snorting to himself as he watched his 'partner' take one of the trainer weapons, he turned his head back to survey the cave entrance.

This is going to be tough... Idnystar is good, but I know I can hold my own against him. I just hope this outsider doesn't get in the way too much and spoil the fight.

Paj smirked to himself confidently beneath the veil of linen, but was suddenly snapped to attention by the foreign words of the werefox. He tilted his head around to peer back over his shoulder, getting a closer look as the creature held a hand out to him. He peered out through the space in his turban mask with a raised eyebrow, reaching his right fist out past the extended hand, tapping the end of his partner's knuckleduster with his own.

"Outsider... Fight enemy. Guard knuckleduster..." Paj said as he nodded, making exaggerated gesturing with his own weapon.

The male hooded figure slipped forward, seemingly floating over the sands with his robe concealing his feet. Turning to Seth, he uttered out an explaination: "Sorry to say, but while your partner has skill and experience with these kind of fights, he does not speak much of the outside languages."

Not needing a response, the figure walked past Seth and joined the female hooded figure, the pair of them walking with ethereal, floating steps to the entrance to the cave. Each turned, facing the two competitors and offering a bow. As they looked up, the male began speaking in tradespeak, as the female began translating the same words into the Fallien tongue.

"Welcome to Prahna'dyuta... the competition. We will be the judges for this combat. This competition will be a Vajramushti bout, and the two of you will be competing against the champion, the grand Idnystar Cimenalthos; The Fist of the Fallien Wastelands, the Hunter of the Caverns."

At hearing these words, Paj's eyes narrowed with a bit of envy and spite, but he bode his silence, continuing to listen to the familiar pre-match instructions.

"This match will continue until the hand which bears your knuckleduster is immobilized, or the weapon is forcibly removed from your grip. Likewise, the match may be won by either immobilizing the hand of the champion which holds his vajramushti- his knuckleduster- or taking it from him. There is to be no biting, no eye gouging, and no weapons other than the knuckledusters you currently hold."

The two judges each slowly raised their hands, passing their palms before their faceless, shadowed hoods. As each did so, a pair of green eyes lit up with a glow from inside the shrouds of darkness.

"And we will be able to see if you break the rules."

Turning, they each drifted towards the dim cavern entrance.

"The champion awaits. Good luck."

As they spoke these last words, the judges, veiled in their flowing robes, seemed to sink in and become part of the darkness of the cave, even the glowing green eyes disappearing. As is a ritual with him, Paj knelt to one knee, pulling the knuckleduster tight to his chest while bringing his vacant left hand up to touch his forehead gently.

"Suravani... iitai shu pyan'ta ruusk, muoika deshvai praa djimo, barriku voin wasa'ak va pru."*

He closed his eyes for the last few words, and then rose, brushing hot red sand off the left leg of his lungi. He turned back to look to his partner, but his ears perked up at the last second as he eard the familiar sound of the desert winds coming in. He managed to turn back to the cavern entrance just in time; the blazing wind slapped across his back like a hot paddle, the dust within its current rubbing raw across his neck like the feeling of stubble being rubbed harshly. Still, it was better than the hot wind getting his face, and more importantly his eyes. While it was dark in the cave, it wasn't pitch black, and he would need every bit of his sight to help.

The wind current that rushed past howled as it raced inside the cave ahead of the challengers, and echoed forebodingly. Blindly, Paj waved a hand behind him, ushering his partner to follow as he took tenative steps towards the dark cave. For a moment, he thought he heard the gust of wind echo again farther in the cave, but the sound was much more distinct. Much more unsettling, as well. It was neither the wind, nor an echo of the wind: it was the echoing feline death cry of a karuku-tal, deep within the depths of the darkness. Pausing once he realized this, Paj reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled a small reddish-purple niphena leaf out. Placing it between the flat surfaces of his back teeth, he gritted his teeth down on it as he stalked forward into the cave entrance to lead his partner onward to their confrontation.

Translation:

"Suravani... she who gave us the spices, glorious mother of the glass, bless us today to glory."

[The Archer]

Seth stepped eagerly into the cool darkness of the cave as the hot gusts of sand and air drove against his pelt. He glanced around quickly, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness as his vulpine ears swiveled around to catch the sounds coming from within the depths of the cavern. Mostly, he could hear the winds shrieking from the craggy recesses of the tunnel...and then he heard a sound that made all his guard hairs stand on end.

Seth had been a hunter up until the day he'd fallen ill with the lycanthropy virus, and he knew a creature's death-shrieks when he heard them. But this wasn't a rabbit's dying scream. This was a predator's. This master was a hunter of hunters, and Fallien hunters were the most ruthless of all.

He wanted to run, to flee like he'd fled Salvar, hiding from would-be slavers until he could stow away on a vessel headed for Corone, where he'd made his home. Instead, he stepped forward, forcing himself to relax and gripping his knuckleduster tightly in his right hand. His curse had given him a new resilience, and he'd utilize his strength and his partner's expertise to take down the hunter of hunters...before he could take them down.

And I really hope your deity was listening there, pal, because we might just need it against whatever his unpronounceable name is.

There wasn't too much to smell within the cavern, due to Fallien's natural aridity. He could smell markers where the animals within the caverns marked their boundaries, and he could also smell the grim tang of fresh blood, with the bitter backbite of death. He could also hear movement...slight footsteps on stone. It was the master's way of taunting the unworthy challengers that faced him, of telling them that even if they knew exactly where he was, they were nothing to him. Seth suppressed his growl, feeling his guard hairs stand up again.

The were-fox tensed more as the stench of death grew more intense. They were almost upon the corpse, meaning that the master could be almost anywhere. His scent was everywhere, a clay-like scent as opposed to the spice-laced scent of his partner. Seth could almost feel the quiet amusement that the master emanated, seeing a young warrior of his own people and a foreigner, but right now Seth didn't care.

Turning his head sharply, Seth caught the outline of a figure in the darkness, and he bared his teeth in challenge, tapping his partner gently but not letting his eyes waver.

[Burly Knuckles]

The pair had made their way through the darkness, quietly creeping as much as possible. Paj's eyes took loks to adjust to the low light, but already he could see faint outlines and recesses in the scenery. Where one would normally see simply black, Paj saw dark gray pressed against the black to show the presence of a jagged rock sticking up to the left. The cave looked almost like the digestive tract of a giant desert beast, a smooth tube of rock coiling and bending in different directions as they travelled.

They had come across the body of the karuku-tal, the beast laying against the wall just to the right of the outsider, the copper smell of blood and the sour smell of the flesh- rotting already from the heat- rising and filling the air around it. Paj was unsure if his partner had seen it, but Paj had spotted it by the dark crimson slapped in an arcing streak across the dark grey of the floor. Colors were muted everywhere he looked, but even small differences stand out when they're all you see.

Feeling nervousness rise in his stomach, he tightened his grip around his knuckleduster, his knuckles popping slightly. His teeth grinded down on the niphea leaf, which was taking effect quickly. The tingling in the side of his face had shown it going to work, the juices of the leaf mixing with his saliva and soaking in through the inside of his cheek. This method of ingestion was less potent than extracting the drug down to it's liquid form, but it took effect quicker. The chemicals spread the tingling sensation back across his face, racing towards his ear; the niphea seeped through to the carotid artery, which sent it racing to his brain. He begin to feel calmer, his heart rate and breathing slowing and his anxiety subsiding within seconds.

Now, I just have to focus. My emotions are under control, just look at the task at hand...

Concentrating hard, it was sound that came to him, the sound of softly padding feet shuffling sand along the floor with footsteps. It was just then he felt a tap from beside him. He turned in the direction of his partner and looked past at the figure approaching. It was the same making the padding sounds, and a faint sniffing sound followed. Rapid series of inhales followed by a sharp exhale as the outline sniffed the ground, creeping slowly on all fours. It was another karuku-tal, sniffing along and tracking the smell of its dead mate. Paj gently pulled his knuckleduater up beside him as he watched the feline creature approach. Two glowing amber eyes slowly rise from the ground where the beast was sniffing, as the cave dwelling creature took sight on the two intruders. It's mouth began to slowly open to a row of fangs.

Fangs that would never touch them.

Before either the beast or the outsiders would make their move, the hunter had his play. A hand slipped out from the darkness as if Idnystar was a part of the shadows himself. The hand slipped under the karuku-tal's lower jaw and in a quick motion grabbed below the beasts mouth while jerking harshly upward; at the same time a fist bearing a knuckleduster of it's own jutted from the darkness and slammed down on the back of the beasts neck. The beast barely had time to yelp, it's spinal cord crushed in the single motion. And from the darkness, the shadow parted to show a row of yellowing teeth, grinning slyly. And as quickly as he had struck, the hunter's hand dropped the dead beast, as he disappeared into the veil of darkness again. Only a fain echoing chuckle was left in the champions wake as he went back to stalking from the darkness.

Almost sing-songingly, a faint whisper came in the darkness, the words coming to Paj's ears in his native tongue.

"Dishuuuuuuuuu, ilb vaaaaaamk. Shuvio patie vuu.... xeniu mior...."

Idystar seemed to remember Paj, a fact that Paj did not like one bit.

Translation:

"Oh, slaaaaaaaaave, i'm waaaaaaatching. I'm going to embarass you... then kill you and the outsider."

[The Archer]

Seth's ears flattened as the hunter broke the fierce karuku-tal in a split second, so fast that the big cat couldn't even react. Worse than that, he seemed to be adept at using the deepest shadows in order to hide and take his prey by surprise. While at first, Seth's human mind had been in control, now that the danger was evident the fur over his entire body stood up on end and he bared his fangs, adrenaline surging through his body and readying him and the beast he'd become for combat.

I can't let this happen. If I do, I'll wind up trying to bite him and that isn't the best for anyone. Let's see...no biting, no eye gouging. Meaning that if I want to punch the guy in the face, it is all fun and games until he disembowels me. Right.

The harsh desert wind shoved more sand into the cave, along with a blazing heat that dried out his nose and eyes. The dim light coming into the cave was also annoying, in that if one looked directly at it, it seemed blinding to darkness-adapted eyes.

Seth's ears flicked back and forth. That was it. If he lurked toward the front of the cage, his opponents would avoid looking at him to preserve what little of their sight they maintained in the murky cavern. He'd also have their side or back turned to him, meaning he could gloat and feel superior for as long as amused him until he finally made his move...and then he'd be both fast and deadly.

Seth's eyes, the green one glowing yellow and the black one shining red, probed the darkest recesses of the area near the cave's entrance. One wall was almost flush against the opening, and the slender slivers of shadows weren't very good for hiding. The other wall was almost perpendicular to the opening, and was about as bright as a canvas painted black.

Black, however, is not a color without variation. It has its blues and greens, its lowlights and highlights. In the depths of one of those lowlights, Seth thought he caught the barest gleam of glass, but quickly that vanished and he saw the dark figure of the Vajramushti master skulking back towards the deeper interior of the cavern.

Letting a deep snarl escape his throat, Seth lunged for the figure, keeping his armed right hand tucked under his body and letting his left hand launch brutally toward Idynstar's torso. He didn't expect it to land. After all, he'd gotten the raw end of the deal by brawling a bunch of kappa, and a master fighter such as Idynstar wasn't about to fall victim to anything the lycanthrope could pull on his own.

Indeed, exactly as he'd expected, his left fist hit stone so hard that he saw stars explode in front of his eyes, and he felt stabbing pain in his right arm as the glass knuckleduster dug swiftly into flesh before yanking out of his arm, but the damage wasn't much more than annoying. Seth's thick fur had deflected some of the force of the blow.

Whipping around with a snarl, Seth grabbed hold of Idynstar's wrist, taking a glass-encrusted blow to the side in the process, and whipped him out to the middle of the cave so that his partner, the one with experience, could take a turn at the master. Hopefully he could distract him...and all Seth would need were a few hits that struck true.

[Burly Knuckles]

Paj had watched his partner silently begin strategically moving, utilizing the light as a means to catch Idynstar off guard. But after an initial charge, the werefox had seemed to do more harm to himself than the champion; but he had managed to draw the hunter out of the veil of darkness. The challenger seized the moment, and despite the loose sand of the floor making it difficult to get a decent running start, he had managed to get enough traction to make a charge of his own. Both arms parallel with his chest, he chased the figure that had been flung into the middle of the cavern and launched a wide arcing hook with his right hand. It would not pay off, as the shot did little more than glance off of the champion's left shoulder.

Missing an open shot from behind is unacceptable.

Indeed, it was a failing that Paj would pay for as the champion spun to the right and slammed a backfist shot with his right hand just beneath Paj's armpit. While the sharpened part of the glass knuckleduster merely dug into the leather armor wrapped tightly around the challenger's midsection, the flat edge along the side of the weapon dragged out along Paj's tricep as the champion dragged his fist free. This type of glass was not only sharpened into spines- but as Paj had just found out- was coarse and grainy, having thousands of spindly fibers even on the flat portions. He felt the sensation leap from underneath his arm up his spine like a lightning bolt; the tearing, grinding feel like rubbing a shark's skin the wrong way.

"Heirv Sciun!" Paj let out with a growling groan.

The champion continued his spin, bringing his left knee up and around to aim for the same area on Paj's side. The patella bone slammed just below the bottom of Paj's leather armor, right at hip level- sending another wince of pain shooting up the challenger's body. It was planned however, and the champion found some pain of his own as the knobby bone teeth tipping Paj's own knuckleduster dug into the outside of Idynstar's left thigh before he could lower it. Paj bit down hard with his back teeth, the juices in the niphena leaf surging out along the inside of his cheek. The drug had already dulled the pain that the challenger had recieved, but he had a feeling it was going to need to be stronger for what he had in store.

Paj lowered his head, feeling another quick, flurry swing come from the champion's knuckleduster, just atop his left shoulder. Ducking away from the shot, there was one sudden counteroffensive from Paj. He lunged his upper torso forward and saw stars as the top of his head slammed underneath Idynstar's jaw, sending the champ's head snapping back and him shuffling backwards unsteadily on his sore leg. The maneuver not only made Paj see stars, but had him again slip on the loose sand beneath their feet, the challenger dropping to his knees.

It had all taken just seconds, but the champ was going to be dazed and off-balance for a few seconds. And in the split second as he tried to get back to his feet, Paj hoped it was going to be enough for him partner to capitalise. This was going to be one they'd need to win with numbers.



Translation:

"Son of a Harpy!"

[The Archer]

Seth watched closely as his partner tangled in a painful toe-to-toe with Idynstar. Apparently the blow Seth had caught had been just right to not do much damage, since it looked like Paj was getting fairly torn up. The scent of human blood started spreading through the cavern, tinging the air with its coppery scent, and the hair on Seth's neck rose. His kind were man-eaters by nature, and this was as close as he'd ever come to actually having the substance on his tongue.

It smelled delicious, and when Paj headbutted the champion and dropped, Seth charged, launching himself over his kneeling partner and barreling into the dazed Idynstar, front paws first, right into the champ's chest. He felt the tip of his tail brush over the top of Paj's head as he bowled Idynstar over, winding the Vajramushti master temporarily.

He could feel the beast within pulling at him, demanding the human's blood on his tongue, demanding a taste of that flesh, and he snarled viciously, smelling sudden fear on his opponent. Whether it was reflex or a hurried attempt to prevent his own death, Idynstar brought his knuckleduster up HARD on the side of Seth's jaw, making the lycanthrope squeal in sharp pain and jerk away as the thin flesh of his cheek was sliced. The pain was blinding, and it hurt even more when Idynstar threw a handful of sand into Seth's eyes and wounds.

Idynstar pressed the attack, a powerful underhanded blow to Seth's underbelly both causing painful cuts and sending the werefox crashing hard into the craggy cavern wall. That proved to be the worst move Idynstar could make for either of them.

Rage flooded through Seth, and he snarled, looking up at his foe with blood red eyes. He could feel his sanity slipping into the bloodlust, and he tried to fight it down. If Idynstar took another step toward him, though, he knew the animal would be out, and no one would be safe. It was Paj's turn again -- to save all their lives by distracting Idynstar enough for Seth to get his inner beast under control once more.

[Burly Knuckles]

Paj was on his knees, and his chest heaved as deep rushes of hot air went in and out of his lungs. The dimly lit sand beneath him was alit with sparkes as he was quite literally seeing stars from the impact of the champ's jaw atop his head. Leaning forward, he spit a bitter wad out; a clump of chewed niphea leaf that now looked like a flat bloody raisin. He spat and felt a brushing of fur over the back of his neck and air rush overhead when Seth leaped over him towards the champ. Paj continued to take deep breaths, the sudden surge of action and the drug racing through his bloodstream sending his breathing rate up rapidly. He placed one hand down on the hot sands beneath him to keep his balance and shook his head to get the stars out of his eyes while the sounds of struggle filled the hot, sticky air in front of him.

I have to keep pressing on. Overwhelm Idynstar if I'm going to have a chance to beat him. I cannot allow him to regroup...

Glancing up, Paj saw his partner struck hard and knocked back against the wall. Shoving himself off his feet, the Vajramushti "amateur" raced toward the champ, who was advancing for a follow up attack. Idynstar was no slouch, and being used to two-on-one fighting, he would expect the blindside attempt. Paj knew this. Racing forward, he raised the knuckleduster at shoulder level while his sandals kicked up sand in his wake. He threw his arm forward, and as expected, the champ saw it in his peripherals and pulled his upper body away from the swing. But Paj expected this move too, his feint working perfectly. He pulled his arm short and brought his knee up un mid-run, aiming between the champions legs.

It's a cheap shot, I admit, but the only one I can afford.

While the judges would have frowned on it, it wasn't specifically disallowed. But Paj's aim had been off, and instead of striking Idynstar someplace to raise his voice a few octaves, the strike went high and Paj's kneecap drove into the bottom of the champion's abdomen, right at the bladder. On instinct, Idynstar's arms spread and he went to grasp the hurt area. Paj leaped at this opportunity, quickly latching both of his forearms around the champion's right arm and seized his forearm between the contenders hands.

There are two ways to effectively disable someone's fighting hand in Vajramushti. One is to pummel the hand and arm until it's useless. The other is to trap the arm and force submission. All vajramushti competitors practiced grappling and joint locks as part of their art, and it was this which Paj planned to use to try to end this fight before the champ could recover.

Pulling hard, Paj twisted his upper body and tried to wrench the arm between his own. The champion's instincts had kicked in, and he used his free hand to grasp at the wrist of his trapped appendage, trying to keep it from being placed in a joint lock. The struggle had only been for a few short seconds before a sound echoed from beside them. It was the sound of the wind, another hot blast of desert air funneled into the mouth of the cave and racing down along the darkness. Caught in struggle, the wind slapped across the side of Paj's face and upper torso like a wall of fire and made the competitor lose his concentration.

Vajramushti also teaches throws to escape from joint locks. This was the part that Paj forgot. Idynstar twisted his own torso and pulled Paj's weight hard over his hip, putting all his strength into the toss. Paj felt himself come off-balance as his feet came off the ground and he was pitched through the air towards his partner; it was an effort by the champ to slow them both down and let himself regroup. And regardless of if Paj hit the hot sands of the cavern floor, the hard rock of the wall, or his own partner when he landed, one thing was for sure: despite the niphea in his system, the hot blast of desert air on his skin had sent his nerve endings stretched up to the surface of his skin, flailing wildly with sensation.

Which meant that this was going to hurt...

[The Archer]

Seth's torn cheek burned like fire, but adrenaline was coursing through his body, and he could feel the raw animal power that awaited him if he just gave in and went after his prey like a REAL hunter. He wanted, badly, the taste of his opponent's blood on his tongue, rather than his own, and as Paj attacked Idynstar, the werefox set himself for a lunge on all fours, ignoring the heat beneath his palms.

They would have wound up disqualified if a raging wind had not blown in first, hitting the fox on his broadside and digging sand beneath his fur where it would itch and burn. He growled softly, but it gave his rage another target, and as Paj came sailing toward him, he looked up, eyes clearing as he stood and reached out with his left arm to grab his partner around the wiry bicep and set him down.

Idynstar was already charging them again, and Seth whirled on him, gripping his poorly-made knuckleduster tightly and meeting Idynstar with a snarl as every hair on his body stood on end. His opponent might know what he was doing, but Seth had the advantage of both reach and weight, meaning the force of his blows would rain mercilessly on his opponent. He intended to take every advantage he had, because Idynstar's sheer experience made it an unfair fight as it was.

Pulling back his left fist, Seth's hand shot out hard toward Idynstar's head, only to meet with air as the champ saw the attack coming and ducked under his arm. A bright white flash flooded his vision as Idynstar's knuckleduster slammed into the juncture between his neck and right shoulder, starting to dig in and drag down the arm. If he could disarm the big lycanthrope now, the other would be easy.

Seth felt his hand wanting to open and drop his weapon in his agony, but he had to keep his grip on the weapon, or he was as good as dead. He wanted to curl up with his tail over his nose, but instead, after a tense moment, his left hand lashed out with snakelike swiftness, gripping Idynstar tightly around the neck even as the champ tried to pull away.

Seth could smell his opponent -- his prey -- and his eyes started going red again. His right hand opened as he did so, keeping the weapon only by virtue of its tightness around his knuckle. Idynstar saw and tried to lash out at his wrist, but Seth jerked away, flashing teeth red with his own blood at the Fallien master of Vajramushti.

With no other recourse left to him, Idynstar slammed his knuckleduster into Seth's left wrist, severing tendons and puncturing veins as he did so, and with a YIPE! the werefox was forced to release his grip, even as another sharp, grainy blow opened a series of gashes over his belly.

[Burly Knuckles]

Paj was still getting his bearings after his trip through the air; the drug in his system didn't help the equilibrium balance any faster. He looked up at a yelp from his partner to see the crushing blow that Idynstar had thrown. Paj's eyes went wide in panic as he surged forward, rushing towards the fighting pair. He sprang forward through the air a few feet away, and swung an arcing downward overhead strike with his fist, but the spry champion quickly sprang back, and Paj faceplanted into the hot sand. He tasted the dry grit in his mouth, spitting a dry plume to get it out. By the time he looked up, the champion was gone, vanished back into the shadows.

"Z'braj!"* Paj yelled out in frustration as he slammed his unarmed fist into the sandy floor.

We couldn't overwhelm him. And now he's back in the shadows, stalking us again. Any advantage we might have had is gone. Damn it!

Pushing himself up to his feet, he tugged at his turban, already hanging loose on his head, and pulled it off. Looking down, not only was his face full of dirt, but the entire fromt of his clothes were lightly coated in a reddish-orange grit. Brushing himself briefly, he looked back to his partner with panic. He saw the werefox's arm and felt his stomach sink in his gut.

Oh, dear Suravani... don't tell me he disabled his hand. I hope he can still use it... Idynstar only has to disable one of us to win."

With concern, he came over towards Seth and tried to get a closer look at the wound. From behind him in the darkness the sing-song voice of the champion came echoing.

"Dishu... vuu wahnai h'bi shrea ir, hnu vuu vasair... wiol pazal vajula ev vuu..."*

With a glare, Paj looked over his shoulder, before looking back to his teammate. He tore a long strip of fabric from the turban in his hands, letting the rest fall to the floor. He stretched the fabric out between his hands and held it towards Seth. The echoing voice continued from the darkness, this time in the common language.

"Outsider... your attempt fell short...." a faint chuckle echoed with the words "perhaps you should give up and leave, while you can still use that arm..."

Paj growled a little bit to himself at the taunting. He knew the champ was using this time to recover, but he couldn't allow the mocking the prevent he and his partner from doing the same. With a frustrated look, he held the fabric out again, motioning with a head nod and glance towards the arm, trying to communicate that the fabric was to wrap the wound.

"Outsiderrr..." Paj spoke tenatively, his effected accent bleeding in to his attempt at tradespeak. "You.. guard." He said, motioning with one hand to the arm. "Guard vajramushti." He continued, motioning towards the knuckleduster in Seth's hand. "Guard during you attack?"

He had a look of confusing, obviously struggling with the language. "No... not during. Um... guard before attack." Paj nodded, more sure of this word. "Guard before. Guard vajramusti privhaj... uh... first."

He continued to hold out the fabric, hoping that he had communicated enough. Defense was going to have to be their absolute top priority, especially with Seth already injured. That, and the champion was not on the ropes, he was back on the prowl. He was the hunter once more...


Translations:

Z'braj = we'll just say it's a very strong curse word and leave it at that.

"Slave... you fight better than I though, but your attempt failed... and now it's all over for you."

Privhaj = first.

[The Archer]

Seth looked at the damage to his right arm, knowing his left hand was about useless, except as a club. If not for the adrenaline rushing through him, he'd be curled up in a ball, licking at his wounds, but for now he was a beast fighting for his life.

The damage was moderate and painful, and he started focusing on healing that. The wounds opening his cheek were already closing, but that wasn't an integral part of the fight. It was the right hand, the right arm, and that would be a few minutes before it healed. Minutes Seth probably didn't have, but every little bit helped.

He kept an ear out for the soft shuffling sounds that Idynstar made as the champ taunted him and his partner, while watching Paj rip this turban and hold out a strip like a bandage. He laughed at Idynstar's suggestion that he get out while the getting was good, the sound coming as a loud, rasping bark that would undoubtedly draw the attention of the cavern's natural hunters -- the karuku-tal. Maybe that would be good, he could taste blood without getting himself disqualified.

Holding out his right arm for Paj to bandage, he showed the fist still clenched tightly around the weapon, even as the blood dripped down to form a gruesome muck with the iron-rich sands. He was still in this fight.

"Maybe you should quit and take a breather, 'champ,'" the werefox threw back into the shadows. "A few more moments, and I'd have crushed your throat."

Bloodied teeth flashed red in the blackness as the sandstorm outside raged so harshly that it almost obliterated the light in the cave. "You have one sense available to you, Idynstar. I have two."

He glanced at Paj as the more experienced fighter gave him halting instructions in clumsy Tradespeak, and flashed his partner a grin. "I gotcha. The ol' one-two. At least...I hope I gotcha."

Seth's head was clearing rapidly, even though the pain and the sense and scent of danger made his fur stand on end. He could still be a man in this battle, a man with a beast's strength. Idynstar won against his prey because he was smarter than them, or stronger than them. He didn't have that advantage against Seth.

Or maybe...I'll be a beast with a man's brain. That'd do me better, I think.

His tail slowly swished patterns in the reddening sand as he waited for the champion's next move.

[The Archer]

The move came sooner than he was anticipating. Idynstar lunged out of the shadows as though he were part of them, hitting Seth behind the ear and knocking him aside. As the lycanthrope struggled to get his wits about him, more attacks came; at his side, at his arms, at his back and neck and chest. He couldn't keep up with them, and felt something within him beginning to snap.

Finally, he couldn't take it any longer, and let out a feral snarl as he swiped hard at the man. He sent blow after powerful blow at where Idynstar had been last, but he only met other attacks from other directions. In all his savage fury, he was no match for the deadly professional.

A sudden, sharp blow from his side was the last thing he felt before his body hit the floor.


~*~*~*~

Seth woke up to see one of the judges looking down at him, apparently having healed his worst injuries before he could die completely. He didn't speak, merely sighed, letting his thick fur burn him under the merciless sun.

"You fulfilled your duty, Mr. Ad'huast," she said. "You may leave Fallien."

[Witchblade]

Storyline

Continuity: 6

Setting: 7

Pacing: 4

Character

Dialogue: 7

Action: 7

Persona: 8

Writing Style

Mechanics: 7

Technique: 6

Clarity: 7

Wild Card: 6

Total: 65

Reward:

Seth receives 775 experience and 100 GP!
Paj receives 400 experience and 100 GP!

Both Seth and Paj receive a glass bracelet for their fight against Idynstar.

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!