Make Your Point (Solo)

[Aello]

Fall 5, 511 AV The clash of metal rang through the alleyway, and rippled silently across the surface of the black waters which lingered in the nearby canal. Dark brown eyes settled on a pale hazel, seemingly glazed over by the sunlight which shone directly into them. Arms shook with the effort it took to keep the two daggers locked into place, crossed, one side against the other. Veins bulged, producing prominent green and blue lines just beneath the surface of pale flesh, lined with salty sweat which glowed a pale yellow in the light. Muscles rippled beneath flesh as each fighter grit their teeth, trying to ward off the pain that coursed through each of their bodies. "Give up," the man growled. "Never," Aello hissed, as she pulled her blade back, breaking the lock. She staggered a few steps away from her opponent, passing her eyes over his entirety, as she listened to the beating of her heart. Imagining it pounded alongside a drum. She could feel the cool metal of her dagger, its point resting against the space just below her elbow. Finish him, Aello's mind whispered. Finish him... The man lunged for her, swinging his blade wildly about him. First, attempting to bring it down upon Aello's right shoulder, the girl stepped to the left, before he swung the blade inwards, towards her neck. Aello ducked, and as the man's arm raked the air about her, she shot up, and twisted her blade inwards, towards his body. She pushed the metal upwards, from the space in the center of his hips, to the middle of his chest, just below his pectoral muscles, and above his belly-button. The blade didn't so much as sever the ties that held his heavy tunic together. Petch, Aello thought, as she merely drew her weapon against cloth. What the heck is that thing made out of, and why won't it break? she wondered, as the man swept his arm inwards, reversing his previous advance. Aello side-stepped as quickly as she could, just narrowly missing the attack. What sort of cloth does not break? And does that mean that all we may strike is the areas of his flesh already exposed to us? If we intend to draw his blood anyway... leave our mark... Aello leapt forward, only one way to find out, she thought, as she pushed her right hand out to the side, holding the blade away from her. When she was within striking distance, she moved it inwards, towards her left shoulder, in a wide arc. The blade curling outwards, towards her opponent, as she attempted to rake it across the area just below his shoulders. The advance being far more basic than most, the man managed to raise his dagger, and block. There was a soft clanging sound, before Aello rapidly turned to her left, twirling her body around. Her long brown hair sweeping off her shoulders and into the air. Moving with her, as she brought her dagger-wielding arm around. She was hoping that she would be able to push her blade into the man's flesh, the area just behind his arm. Instead, since the man instinctually stepped back, in an attempt to be out of the way, Aello's blade sank into the center of his arm, just above the elbow. The man cried out as Aello split his long sleeves, and began to dig her blade into his flesh. But only a little. Just enough to free a crimson drop, before he knocked her blade away with his own. Aello spun away in silence. Smiling at herself. So it takes a push, and not a pull, to sever the ties...

[Aello]

The girl swirled around until she fell into a place a few feet in front of her opponent, her eyes once again, locked on his own. "Crying over a mere flesh wound?" Aello taunted. The man merely growled in response, and tightened his hold upon the hilt of his own dagger. Perhaps it was his way of saying, you're going to regret that, but Aello didn't care. For if it was, she didn't find herself at all intimidated. She had taken down men twice his size before. "I suppose that means yes," Aello added, her lips curling into a small smile, as the words spilled out. The man growled again, before he lunged at Aello, and attempted to stab the area around her heart as soon as he was within striking distance. Aello stepped back with her left leg, placing all of her weight onto it. As she did so, she twirled her dagger, and then brought it upwards, towards the man's hand. Finally, Aello's blade met with the underside of her opponent's pushing it upwards, and away from her body. "You're going to have to do better than that," Aello growled, as she stepped back and twirled her blade between her fingers, turning it to the position she preferred when fighting- in which the blade was turned towards her. Instantly, the man lunged for Aello again, this time, attempting to strike her arms, so as to weaken her enough where she could no longer lift her blade. She could see the cold metal turned towards her, on a slight slant. As though the blade would be used to cut downwards, and into her flesh on an angle. Again, Aello stepped back a few steps, leaving the right in the lead, as she pushed her right arm up, keeping the blade turned on its side, as she pushed her body, from the waist up, towards the blade. So that her shoulder was directed towards her opponent. Her dagger raked across the metal of the man's blade, causing them to clink together. "Much better," Aello taunted, as she pulled her blade back towards her, and stepped forward a few steps, closing the gap that lingered between them. Tasting the thick air, hung with sweat, upon her pale pink lips. As she came to a position so close, she thought it unwise to move any more near to her opponent, Aello pushed her dagger-wielding hand forward, towards the man's right shoulder. He easily deflected her attack with his blade, and then swung his towards her chin. Aello pulled her head back, before lowering her blade, in an attempt to draw it across the man's chest, from his right shoulder to his right hip. Once again, the man easily deflected her attack. Frustrated, Aello darted around the left man's side, and when she was just past him, pushed her blade backwards, hoping to strike the back of his arm, or even the area just below his shoulder, as opposed to empty air, which was the only thing her blade caught. As soon as she was a few paces past him, Aello spun around to face him once more. Her grip tightening around the hilt of her dagger, despite the sweat that clung to her palm. She held it to her side, just below her hip, a stance that was neither defensive or offensive, and generally speaking, wasn't often used considering it provided the user with no benefits, whatsoever. Why won't he just petching die? Aello wondered.

[Aello]

Aello's heart was beating all the more furiously in her chest as she ran her thumb slowly across the length of the dagger's hilt. Her throat felt dry, and she was struggling to draw in another breath. Her skin glowed beneath a thin sheet of sweat. The droplets that fell from her chin. The girl licked her cracked lips, as her eyes met with the man's blade. If only we could disarm him, this would end so easily. So swiftly... if only we could make him drop it, he would fall, Aello thought. The man was standing a few feet from her, eyeing Aello angrily. His eyes flashing, as his muscles rippled beneath his flesh. As his short black hair clung to his skin, heavy with sweat. Aello could see his chest rising and falling rapidly, as he tried to draw another breath. As he stood, trying to catch it, waiting for her to come at him. Slowly, she lifted her left arm, keeping her palm flat, and raised towards the sky. When her arm had become level with the center of her chest, Aello curled her fingers, holding them together tightly, she flicked them towards her palm, beckoning to him. Asking for the man to come closer so she could finish the fight. Finish him off. When she was done, Aello lowered her hand, and waited. Her thumb grazing her dagger's hilt, as the blood that rested upon the blade glowed ominously in the light of the sun. "Come now, don't keep me waiting," Aello called to her opponent. Deciding to oblige her, the man sprang forward. He came at a run, holding his dagger high over his head. His eyes were on fire, his face bright red as he cut through the street towards the waiting Aello. The girl knew what was coming. She didn't need the light of her magic to tell her that. So she stood, silently waiting, crouched slightly in place. When he was about four paces away, Aello slowly dragged her right foot across the wood, pushing her body away from where it was once planted. However, she allowed her left foot to remain in place, causing it to rest on a diagonal, which, with the help of her other leg, formed a triangle, the ground being its base. As the man came closer, Aello braced herself, tightening the muscles in each of her legs, before the man's legs made contact with her left one. She felt his right knee against the center of her own first, and then his left foot against her own. The force of them together pushed her leg back a few inches, before his right hand came down, and then the left. And then they were swirling madly like a windmill, as he began to stumble, to wobble forward. He was trying to catch himself by the time Aello pulled her leg back, and then spun towards her right side, in a clockwise fashion, pushing her dagger-wielding arm out in the process. Turning the blade out as her dagger swung towards him, trying to catch his flesh before he toppled onto his face. But Aello was not fast enough. Having had to draw in her left leg, before she could begin to perform the twirling motion necessary for her next advance, she had lost a lot of time. The man had continued to struggle to right himself, and had begun his dissent. By the time the girl had turned to meet him with her blade, he was already no more than a few inches above the surface of the road. Of course, he was wise enough to put his hands down, allowing them to scrape across the wood, as opposed to his face. This move, however, did not surprise Aello. What did, was the speed in which he was able to push his hands up against the ground, and right himself. To then spin, and push his blade back towards her in a wide arc. Had Aello not been looking down upon him, preparing to leap onto his back and stab it repeatedly until he crumbled, she would not have seen it coming. She was lucky then, to have been able to pull her head away so swiftly, that it allowed her to miss the brunt of the attack. That it allowed only, for the tip of his blade to make a shallow cut across the length of her left cheek. A fairly straight line, that seemed little more than a paper-cut, with a ribbon of bright red resting just below the surface. Aello staggered back, more with the surprise of it all than the pain, which was rather dull. It felt rather warm though, like the flickering light cast by a candle. Strong one moment, and then weak the next. Something that contained just enough strength to begin to ward off the cold, nothing more, nothing less. The girl didn't so much as bother to put a hand to it, to check the amount of blood the attack had freed. Checking wounds, during the course of battle could be seen as a weakness. Not only that, but it provided her opponent with an opportunity to strike. Aello would simply have to wait until later. "Looks like I marred that pretty little face of yours," the man finally sneered, as he took a few steps away from Aello, to catch his breath. She could see his hands trembling, with the few cuts and bits of gravel that had worked their way in during the fall. "It was a lucky strike," Aello spat. "It's still a strike," the man growled. "Nothing that will leave your permanent mark," Aello replied. "Your filthy stain!" As the words left Aello's lips, she sprang forward in a fit of range. Ignoring her exhaustion, the pain that lingered in her limbs, how sore her muscles were. The amount of sweat that trickled down the length of her brow, to her chin, and then fell from it. How hot her neck felt, as her hair cascaded down its length, and well past her shoulders, blocking any wind that may break through to cool it for her. She had no plan of attack now, only rage to work with. Blind instincts. Gut reactions. The feel of the fight to guide her to victory.

[Aello]

As Aello neared her opponent, she bent her legs all the more at the knee, and allowed her legs to fold, bringing her closer to the ground. She twirled her dagger towards her opponent, and brought it swiftly upwards, dragging it from the area just below his left knee to his thigh. The slender black threads which held his pants together split, making a low ripping sound as they were forced apart, exposing the man's pale skin, his bony knee. As she pushed against her blade with an increasing amount of force, she could feel a gust of air sweep the area atop her head. The man must have swung for her and missed, she thought, as he pulled his blade back, and began to push it back down, as though he were to split her skull with it. Instantly, Aello jerked her hand away from the man's flesh, and pushed back, allowing herself to fall lightly onto the hard wood of the road. Her eyes shut tightly as she made contact with it, and the man's dagger stopped lowering itself around his waist. The girl jerked her eyes open as her opponent lifted his right leg, and kicked the bottom of her left foot. Aello winced as she bit her bottom lip and tucked her arms into herself. She closed her eyes, and rolled to the right, away from the canal, and out of the way of her assailant. When she was certain he could not reach her, Aello planted the soles of her feet on the ground, her hands to her sides, and pushed up against them. She eased herself up as rapidly as she could, and ducked as soon as her attacker swung at her again. When his arm had sailed past her, Aello straightened herself up, and raised her dagger to meet his own, when he tried to strike her left side. Then she moved it to the right to block an attempted assault on that side. Clack. The man kept moving his blade, rapidly, never stopping, spinning and stepping closer from time to time to remain within striking range. Clack. Clank. Clack. Constantly, their two blades met in the middle, blocking the advances. Keeping anyone from gaining any ground on the other. The man swung from left to right, over and over. As though by doing so, often enough, Aello would fail to move. To keep up, to block. To anticipate his attacks. Finally, growing fed up with it, Aello side-stepped to the right of one of the man's attacks, as opposed to raising her blade to meet his. As the man's arm swept past to her left, Aello brought her blade up, to the underside of his arm. The dagger brushed up against the man's flesh, before he spun away, in the opposite direction. His hand balled into a fist as he spun. As he rounded again, his arm shot outwards, and struck Aello in the left shoulder. She staggered backwards, as a sharp, shooting pain coursed through the length of her shoulder, and then trickled downwards, into her pectoral muscles, and then outwards, into the length of her left arm. Petch! Aello thought, as she moved away, shaking the arm out a bit to help ease the pain. To keep her muscles from cramping. At least that was the useless one, she thought, as her grip tightened around her dagger, and her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She could feel a droplet of sweat trickle down the bridge of her nose, and then get stuck against the side of her nostril. "That's going to leave a nasty bruise," the man commented, his voice cool. "Bruises are only temporary. The sort of mark I shall leave on your skin will be permanent," Aello replied, flatly. "Don't think I can't do the same," the man growled, as he lunged for her again. Aello licked her lips as she watched the man move, his feet pushing up angrily against the ground, propelling him towards her at a surprisingly fast rate. She could feel her heart skip a beat, before it began to hammer again, as she stepped forward with the right foot, allowing it to lead while she placed all of her weight on her left foot. As swiftly as she could, she raised her right arm, and held the blade out to its side, blocking the man's latest attack, as he tried to bring his own down on her middle. There was a deafening ring of metal, as Aello pushed up against her blade, and gave her arm a little spin, sending the man's blade spiraling off hers. Finish him! Aello's brain hissed. What in Dira's name are you going so easy on him for? the little voice asked, as Aello darted forward, leading with her right shoulder until it lodged itself in the center of the man's chest, sending him back a few steps, as she swung upwards with her blade, trying to cut a vertical line from his belly-button to the tip of his chin. It was easily side-stepped, causing her to strike nothing but air. What in Dira's name are you waiting for? Finish him! Aello's brain screamed, as the man lifted his right leg, and turned it on his side. He twisted the upper half of his body as he brought his leg around, and struck Aello about the right side of her waist. The girl staggered back a few steps, as the sting of the blow began to register. Finish him!

[Aello]

After recovering from her stumble, Aello sprang forward. The man brought his arm upwards, from the area around her left thigh, to her right shoulder, although, the tip of his blade merely met with her around the shoulder. Pushing into bare flesh, and sending several droplets of blood trickling down the length of her pale form. Aello bit her bottom lip to ward off the pain, as she knocked his dagger away with her own. She knew the mark the wound left behind wouldn't be permanent, but it would sting for awhile. At least, until she could treat it with a few herbs. As soon as the man's dagger had been swept away, Aello brought her arm inwards, in a wide arc. The blade twisting towards his direction as she guided it swiftly along, towards his neck. The man stepped back and knocked it away. Finish him! Aello's brain screamed as she pushed her blade down, moving to drag it along the man's center. Again, the man blocked it with his own blade, before lunging for her. Extending his arm, his reach, in an attempt to stab Aello in the heart. The girl stepped to the left side of the man's body, and pushed her right hand, which had been dangling close to her middle, upwards. Her blade crashed into the underside of the man's arm. As soon as it had, and shed but a few droplets of blood, Aello pulled her weapon away. She began to twirl in the opposite direction, sweeping her arm around with her. Her dagger held fast in her opponent's direction, she soon slammed it into the space just below his shoulder blade. She pushed it all the more deeply into his flesh, until it left a deep incision, from which sprouted warm, crimson red blood. Aello pulled her blade away. Listening to the sound of the blood slithering along her blade as she extracted it. The sound of it squishing around in his flesh. Bubbling upon the surface. "Give up," Aello growled, as she turned to face him. "Or lose each of your limbs." The man's eyes flashed, as his muscles rippled beneath his flesh. Aello could see his chest rising and falling even more rapidly than before, from what she assumed to be blood loss. "No chance of that," the man responded. "Have it your way," Aello replied, as she sprang forward, bringing her right hand inwards, towards her left shoulder. The point of her blade resting no more than an inch before her. As she neared the man, she started to bring the blade back, in the opposite direction. She pushed it in a wide arc towards her right side, forcing the blade to twist towards her opponent as it cut through the air with a gentle hiss. The man stepped back, and raised his blade to meet with Aello's own. Clack! Instantly, she twirled her body around, and attempted to strike in the opposite portion of the man's body. Again he blocked her. Aello pushed her body downwards, dragging her blade along with the movement. Her opponent merely stepped out of the way, and then swung for her. Aello, seeing the attack coming, being that his arm was at her eye level, pushed up against her legs, and propelled herself forward. She tucked her head into her chest as she rolled onto her back. She winced at the road dug into her back, causing her flesh to grow sore, as the man's blade pushed air around over her head. Whistled by. When she had rolled over once, entirely, the man tried to bring his blade down on her. Aello pushed herself forward again, rolling onto her back, narrowly missing a chance to gut herself with her own blade, or with his. Before she had finished moving, flopping uselessly onto her back, the man was open her once more, raising his right leg high, before attempting to push it down onto the girl's face. Aello's eyes grew wide as she noticed the underside of the man's boot drawing near. She rolled onto her side, narrowly missing it. Feeling a dusty gust of air buffet her back. Hearing the sound of his boot crushing the street next to her. She was just about to get up when the man kicked her in the back. Petch! Aello thought, as she rolled along the road, stopping just short of the edge. Just before she took a plunge into the lake. She could hear the man coming for her. His feet pounding against the street. Feel it rumbling beneath his effort. His weight. Get up! Aello's brain screamed, as she forced herself to move. She was just inching herself forward when the man swept past, and leapt out towards the lake. Aello turned to face him, watching him flail his arms and legs, as though he could walk on air. Slowly sinking, and then, making contact with the water. Darkened droplets sprang into the air as he crashed into it. Sank beneath the waters, and then bobbed back up, spitting out water which foamed around his mouth. Now would be a good time to run, he can't fight now... Aello's mind whispered, as she glanced along the length of the street. She noticed the rest of her things in a hefty pile, not to far off, and went to fetch them. She had put them all back into their proper places, by the time her opponent had pulled himself out of the lake, and onto the street. Soaking wet. Water drizzling off every inch of his form, as his chest rose and fell in strides. As he fought for breath. Coughed. Spit water from his trembling lips. "Perhaps we'll call it a draw," Aello snickered, as she glanced at the man one last time, and then ran off through the streets. Weaving her way in and out of them, until she became lost in shadow.

[Verilian]

Aello +5 Dagger +3 Evasion +2 Acrobatics You Question My Logic? : Okay, so no dancing. Twirling isn't enough for that. Anyway, if you have any questions or complaints feel free to PM me. +1 Dagger in post 1 +1 Dagger in post 2 +1 Evasion in post 2 +1 Dagger in post 3 +2 Acrobatics for all the twirling and jumping +1 Dagger in post 4 +1 Evasion in post 4 +1 Dagger in post 5 +1 Evasion in post 5 Lores: Deceptive Footwork Notes: So many people trying to kill Aello..