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Post by Araxis on Jun 1, 2004 12:42:09 GMT -5
Taken aback by Keltethyonex's injury, Longshanks stood dumbfounded for a moment, eyebrow arched. He'd thought his blade was not live, but a mere training weapon, and felt guilty at slicing off the tendrils; however, as the jellyfish seemed unphased by it, Longshanks shook out his wings and gathered his thoughts together. Hearing the invitation of an aerial fight ring in his mind, Longshanks grinned--even Deathstryke had been hard pressed by Longshanks in the air. Arcadians were known for their longstanding tradition of combining the dance of the clouds with the dance of the blades.
White teeth flashing, Longshanks leaped, batting aside the swirling knives with swift flicks of his great sword. Many got through to nick him, drawing crimson beads from his skin, but he ignored the pain stoically, for this was nothing compared to what he'd felt in previous battles. With strong beats from his massive raven wings, Longshanks surged up, towards Keltethyonex through the storm of knives like an ebon angel.
Suddenly, Gai sprang up, veritably pouncing on the floating jellyfish. Longshanks cried out, and halted the forward motion of his flight, hovering several yards above the training ground floor. "Freeborn!" he yelled, considering Gai's attack underhanded; he had thought the spar a duel between himself and Keltethyonex, and by the laws he followed, a duel was a sacred affair between two individuals, and no more.
As Gai landed, Longshanks saluted Keltethyonex with his blade to signify the duel's end, then pursued the other man, who also turned towards him. When Longshanks' booted feet touched the ground, he was beset by Gai's fierce whirlwind of attacks. Expressing his distaste through his empathy, Longshanks parried every blow disdainfully, then, as Gai retreated to watch him, struck out with a flurry of strikes towards the fatal zones, his blade flickering like a viper.
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Post by Gai on Jun 1, 2004 12:53:43 GMT -5
Blocking all attacks thrown at him, gai waited. all he need was one opening and it would be over. He knew that patince in battle was dier. It came, hwne Longshanks pulled back for another stroke, Gai droopped to the ground, kicking out as he did. He saw the Orion fall to the ground and he backed away, circling his opponent though. It would be unhonorable to do so.
As Longshanks regained his feet, gai was on him as soon as he was ready again. He would show no mercy to any of them. He wouldn't kill but he would fight as though his life depended on it. Parry, stirke. Sweeping blow followed by a vertical slash. He had no particular pattern to follow. this was his strategy. He never let his opponents know what he was going to do.
Jumping back, he stopped for a moment. "You are truely a skilled fighter. I have battle many and very few have had even an ounce of the skill you have. Surely I am glad to be on your side of this war." he said as he took up his stance again. He kept his eye on the other two, making sure they could not sneek up on him. as he waited, he began to mutter to himself. He then was enveloped in a shroud of shadows. It swirled around him until it moulded to his body, forming a sort of armuor. "shall we take this battle to the next level?" he said with a laugh?
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Post by Triunis on Jun 2, 2004 23:20:20 GMT -5
((Easy, Gai. Deciding what limbs an opponent loses is very similar to/definately powerplaying. Don't wanna get busted for that, trust me.))
Keltethyonex chuckled mentally at Gai's statement. Next level? He'd show the pair another level.
«Very well, then! Let us see what you can do!»
Every one of the blades dropped down on his foes and then clattered to the ground, no longer controlled by the Tlyunava. As he dropped them, he pulled the Godfather from its corner and up next to his bell.
Time to show them a real weapon! Let all of Isonia tremble before the Godfather!
Pulling one of the many triggers, he heard the outermost level of the weapon's chambers whir slowly into motion. As it did so, a continuous stream of bullets poured from it, followed by a shot from the gun's secondary chambers every few seconds. The effect shredded the floor, and sent bits of tile flying throughout the arena. Aside to Longshanks, he said:
«I'm sorry I didn't begin the fight properly, but Gai has rather grabbed my attention.»
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Post by Araxis on Jun 3, 2004 23:51:27 GMT -5
"Futz, what the Hel is going on?! I thought we were supposed to be training here, not trying to kill eachother!" Leaping out of the way of the streams of hot lead, Longshanks bellowed loudly, his massive lungs causing his voice to echo around the large room. He voice implied a joke, but his face and empathy told otherwise. Tossing his weapon to the ground, he scowled at it. "If this is how you train, I want no part of it. I just wanted a simple spar, not an all out brawl."
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Post by Gai on Jun 4, 2004 14:12:56 GMT -5
Looking at the Orion, he smiled kindly. "You're right friend. This has gone too far. I normally sparr only to enhance the skills of my students such as Mellira." he said as he sheathed his weapons while jumping out of the way of the Godfathers bullets. "And then, I only use simple easy to block combonationb attacks to help them up their defence. I never ment for this sparr to become a true battle. All I wanted was some fun with a few friends that would be safe. It looks like that is far from what truely happened." he said as he sat down. He was truely sorry for whatever pain had been caused to them in the sparr gone wrong. "Any wounds that you all have sustained durring the fight, will be treated at the infermory. I am really sorry about all this." he said once more.
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Post by Triunis on Jun 5, 2004 11:39:24 GMT -5
The whirring of the Godfather's barrels declined, and Keltethyonex slowly sank down to the ground level.
«I . . . apologize. I did not mean . . . to . . .»
His voice trailed off. He knew that he had made a rather big mistake, and wasn't sure how to rectify it.
«I am used to far more strenuous battles, and I lose control occasionally. Please forgive me.»
Looking down, he saw that his wounds had stopped bleeding the clearish fluid that flowed through his body. At the end of his hacked tentacles, he already saw the beginning of the regrowth.
«Do not worry about my injuries. My tendrils will regrow in time.»
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Post by Mellira/Ilyra on Jun 6, 2004 15:35:00 GMT -5
Mellira's shrigrin at the bullets changed to a smile of delight at the end of the sparr. She had fun, and she was fine. Gai had not held a live blade, only a blunt steel pratice Katana. She would have a bruise, but, when Mellira remembered her days with her father, she couldn't recall training without a mass of bruises covering her body.
She grabbed a bottle of water from the sidelines, and uncorked the stopper. Mellira did not notice if the others were deserious of water, but she was parched. She gulped at the bottle before she began streaching down excersises.
With her limbs in less danger of giving out on her or twisting into a painful sprain, she turned to Keltethyonex. "Was that the next level?" She asked, feeling small and childish. "'Cause if it is, I don't wanna go to that level."
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Post by Araxis on Jun 6, 2004 19:54:13 GMT -5
Breathing slightly heavily, partly from exertion, partly from his explosion, Longshanks started slowing his breathing down, taking huge quantities of air into his lungs and calming himself. He picked up the sword at his feet and returned it to its place in the armory. The Orion loved a good bout, but not when it caused injury to others. He winced, partly from his own wounds, the nicks and scratches the knives had sliced into him, as well as the bruises and cuts on the others.
Sitting down on a bench, he stretched his wings, and they shone raven in the light streaming in from the windows high above. Grabbing a bottle of water, he pondered at how to open it for a moment, then discovered that by twisting the cap, it came off. Smiling ruefully at this peculiar invention, he drank of it thankfully, downing most of it in several moments. Satisfied for the moment, he turned to the rest, wondering what to do next.
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Post by Triunis on Jun 7, 2004 0:07:31 GMT -5
Keltethyonex slumped even lower, not responding to Mellira's comment. He hadn't meant to, he never had hoped for someone to get hurt . . .
« . . . I think perhaps it would be best if I departed now . . . »
Slowly, he floated into the air and made a line for the door. His tentacles dragged on the ground behind him along with the Godfather, which sent up small sparks as it went over the floors various dents.
Fool.
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Post by Mellira/Ilyra on Jun 7, 2004 19:56:04 GMT -5
Mellira rolled her eyes. She was still very young, and she felt under presure.
"Stay, but can we keep it to swords?" She asked. "Maybe a spear or dagger in the mix, but not flaming lead pellets? Those things scare me."
Mellira felt the fear, an emotion she could only just name. She was breathing again, in a way she hadn't been before, and her body was unclenching itself from its posture of protection.
"Maybe some meditation, now?" She asked Gai. She could use the quieting excersizes, even if she doubted they would teach her to go without bodily necessities.
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Post by Araxis on Jun 8, 2004 0:22:05 GMT -5
"Yes, let's stick to blades and the like," Longshanks said, noting Mellira's fear and re-examining his own. "There's little honor in missile weapons." He sat back, stretching his wings and spine. Taking deep, cavernous breaths, he stretched his lungs, increasing the flow of oxygen from his pulsing heart to his brain. His awareness increased slightly, he felt more alert. He got up, began to pace, his trenchcoat swishing lightly as the long legs he was known for took their lengthy strides.
Now he began to flex his wings, their raven feathers rustling like leaves in the breeze. Making light, sweeping movements, he went through the motions of flight, then slowly beat them harder, and leapt into the air. There he hovered for a moment before touching back down restlessly. He went back to the sword selection and removed a heavy sabre from the racks. Hefting it experimentally, he began the basics of fighting with a single one-handed blade. He was not as skilled with these as with the two-hand sword, and it required more concentration of him to go through the motions than it had with the massive claymore.
As he danced lightly back and forth, maneuvering the blade swiftly from one position to the next, he realized that he was itching to have a go at Gai again. He could feel an itch in the middle of the back that he would never be able to scratch until he'd bested Gai at swordsplay. That man was good, but he employed the dishonourable tactic of tripping his foe, of not using only the sword in a duel clearly meant only for blades. But then again, these people were not Orion, and they did not follow the same laws and codes of honour as Longshanks did. Nevertheless, the Orion sentinel eyed Gai as he continued flowing flawlessly through his practice.
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Post by Gai on Jun 8, 2004 2:10:48 GMT -5
Looking at Mellira, he thought for a moment. "Yes, I think meditation would be perfect right about now...but, in a different matter." he said as he cleared the room of everything in the middle. "I want you to take up your blade. I want you to go throw your stance. Offence and deffence. Let your soul flow through your blade. If you wish to master the blade, then you must become the blade. Only then will you fully understand it." he said as he took up his stance. He then closed his eyes. He slowly stepped, going throw his motions without fault. This was what he had done when he was younger. It should help.
THen, he stopped. He looked at Longshanks. He senced his gaze and thoughts. "My friend. As for you...I am truely sorry. I should have nkown that you were unuse to the fighting style of my people. It is how I grew up. I have mastered it almost completely. From what I have seen today, I still have some work to do but I wish to let you know, I plan on fighting with the utmost honour in the next sparr. I am just used to the style of my people, I will try and learn yours." he said as he bowed to the Orion.
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Post by Araxis on Jun 8, 2004 13:55:44 GMT -5
Longshanks returned the bow, wings spread such to indicate a bow to an equal at swordsplay. "Indeed," he said, "I am rather set in my ways--Orion honour is a sticky thing at times. I was not expecting . . . such a blow as that which took me off my feet." He returned to his practice, the heavy sabre moving as fast as a lighter blade did for most. He added the wing motions, upping the pace and precision of his movements to that of the master sword dancers of the Imperium. He thought about Deathstryke; that dog had been unsurpassed at the sabre, and Longshanks could almost feel the sting of the bruises he'd gotten from sparring with him. Grinning broadly, Longshanks lifted himself into the air with a leap, and began the in-flight motions of the sabre practice.
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Post by Mellira/Ilyra on Jun 9, 2004 22:49:11 GMT -5
Mellira began slowly and tentively. This was nothing like any meditation she had ever done before. But, she closed her eyes and let the sword work take her away. She floated relaxed above the blocks, thrusts and paries that her body did. She floated higher.
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