Earth and Metal (Talen)

[Nashira]

A loud ring, the clash of metal upon metal, sounded as Nashira's blade met with Talen's shield, sending it upwards. As soon as she had lifted it out of the way some, the Ethaefal eased her blade to the side, in an attempt to rake it across his newly exposed flesh. But with his stumbling, and low swing of his sword, Nashira could not keep on advancing. Thus, she took a step back, and waited for Talen's sword to pass, with her own still raised. After his sword had swept past her, striking nothing more than air, Nashira moved forward again. She raised her sword a little more, and brought it out to her right side. She twisted the blade a little, and then swung it inwards, so that if Talen failed to catch himself, she'd still strike him, but it'd be with the flat portion of her blade. This way, he would still know that he had lost, and could have easily been cut. But Shira was being merciful. Had this been a true fight, after all, he may not have been as lucky. He was lucky then, that he was likely to escape this with little more than a bruise. As soon as her sword had struck Talen's flesh, or perhaps, his shield or his sword if he managed to right himself, Nashira would pull her weapon back, and simply watch the boy. "You should always be on your guard. Never underestimating your opponent. It is then that you grow all the more likely to make a mistake. Either allowing yourself to be seen as a fool, or allowing yourself to be destroyed," Shira commented. She'd wait but a fraction of a second for her words to settle, before urging herself forward again. This time, she'd raise her sword higher, lifting its tip over her head, before bringing it back down as swiftly as she could, towards Talen's right shoulder. Defend yourself, the magic insisted.

[Talen Stirling]

Talen danced backwards clumsily, finally stabilizing his stumble as he landed on his right foot again. Wide-eyed, he hurled his shield into the blow coming from his left instinctively. Fortunately for him it came towards his shield-arms side losing most of it's force against it but still grazing his side. If she'd use the sharp of her blade, it would definetely have drawn blood. He stepped back at the same time as she did, returning her gaze with hurt pride for a fraction of a moment before he looked away to the side with a smile growing on his lips. He heard her lesson, he'd heard many such lessons in the past, words just like hers sounding louder in his memory than the ones in person. How dare she teach him, as if she were his superior. He moved into position again, broken pride calling out for vengeance as she moved towards him again. He moved with swift determination now, battle clarity seeming to shape his thoughts and movements. It happened, at times, as if a spirit fell into his body and guided his hand. A thousand times he'd practiced every step he did, every blow and every block. He stepped forward into her blow, crouching and swinging his shield up into her attack, and slashed his own blade forward beneath his guard. The shield angled to let her slash fly past him to the left, and his own attack aimed for either her waist or knees. The blade turned to be brought in with the blunt side, although it was likely as not she might dodge.

[Nashira]

It seemed like only a fraction of a second had passed before Talen's shield came crashing into Caleb's old sword, sending it out, and to the side. Nashira grit her teeth in frustration, grinding her heels into the terrain in order to stabilize herself. She could feel her boot sinking into the cool ground as she watched Talen's sword out of the corner of her eye. As she reigned her own in, bringing it back to her center in a basic block, the Ethaefal took a half step back, so as to be out of the way. But she wasn't fast enough, the tip of Talen's sword ran across her sparkling flesh. The cloth that covered it, severing a few ties. She could hear the cotton ripping a little, as the string raised to meet the metal. In the end, failing to sever completely. Nashira could hear his blade as it swept past her. But she forced herself to ignore it, so that she may take advantage of the opening Talen had provided her with. The Ethaefal sprang forward, hardly missing a beat as she allowed her sword to dip a little towards the ground as she moved. Her feet pushed up angrily against the ground, propelling her forward all the more rapidly as she began to swing her sword upwards, and towards the left. She planned to bring it underneath Talen's shield, so as to strike the exposed flesh that hung beneath it. Of course, Talen could easily bring his shield back down to block, effectively knocking Nashira's weapon out of the way. Should this be the case, she'd try to swing her sword around in a half circle, allowing it to follow the outside portion of the metal block. When it reached its zenith, the Ethaefal would drag the sword inwards, striking towards her opponent's head. Again, the magic hissed. Do it again. Defend yourself.

[Talen Stirling]

He saw her dart backwards, felt the sword catch at something but had little time to worry about what it had been as she continued her attack ferociously. He reined in his blade, but his shield had never stopped in it's block and followed her sword to the left ready to meet it in a block that rang with the harsh sound of metal on metal. He could feel his shield-arm ache with the pain of that and the previous blows, and he smiled with eager competitiveness. He would defend himself, as the gods themselves told the Denvali to do, as it echoed in his mind still. Talen had crouched a little further in his defence, his knees bent to burst. Her sword came up swiftly, the blade whipping in towards his head. He saw it coming, the spin to attack from a different angle. He jumped into the blow, savagely ramming her blade upwards with his shield and sword before he swung the blade towards her upper body swiftly, turning it in mid-air desperately. He fought without conscious thought now, making movements he'd practiced a thousand times with wooden swords more out of instinct than decision.

[Nashira]

There was another loud crash as their blades met. Another sharp jerk of her wrists as she was forced away from her target. Nashira grit her teeth with frustration as her brow furrowed. Her blade was swinging wildly away, and Talen's was sailing towards her exposed upper body. She couldn't let it strike her. She couldn't let herself lose. Not again. Slow and steady, the magic hissed, as Nashira pulled herself back. Forced herself to drag her sword along behind her body, as it willed itself to keep on flying out and to the side. It didn't want to stop, and Nashira was struggling to pull it back in. Move slowly, deliberately, and you shall win. The Ethaefal didn't know why she kept on trying with her magic. A part of her knew it wouldn't work. Given Talen's driven nature, and overall desire to succeed, to prove himself to the world, it seemed unlikely that he would suddenly shift to the things Nashira was suggesting. Everything she forced into his mind with her hypnotic djed, poking about its recesses, seemed to oppose his very nature, and any good hypnotist knew that if any thought one attempted to plant was so drastically uncharacteristic, it could not be made. You would simply, have to find another way to drive them to do whatever it was that you wanted. A way that didn't go against everything they seemed to stand for. But that was all part of the fun. A slender smile crossed Nashira's lips as her eyes sparkled. As their molten amber expanse settled upon her opponent's hands. She was still stepping back. Thinking, biding her time as she studied him. Calculated everything. How he may try to move next. Where her own weaknesses lay, and where his did as well, so she could end this. How best to use her magic to her advantage. To increase her changes of achieving victory. It didn't matter that her head ached, that her temples felt as though they may explode. Either with the power of her magic, or perhaps, the Ethaefal's competitive fury. It seemed as though she could have but a second before she was forced to advance again, to dart forward, bringing her sword down as she moved, before slicing it back up, diagonally, in the opposite direction. So that her sword made a "V" shape, which would hopefully, knock both his sword and shield away. Sweep under them, and rake across his skin.

[Talen Stirling]

He slowed the blow down and ended up pulling the blade backwards, worried that the tip would cut her. He'd lost himself to the fight, yet he had to keep his cool. As he knew all too well, the unearthly girl before him wouldn't. He was in doubts, but keeping steady was only right, this was practice and these were weapons of war. He stepped backwards, one to three collected steps and took up a comfortable pose, shield low in front and sword far back to sweep. It wavered slightly in his hand, poised to strike or block as he watched her watch him. He smiled as they stood still before unleashing the storm upon one another, cool blue and gray eyes reading her posture and movements when she dashed towards him. Her blow was vicious, but clarity of mind came easily in battle. He sidestepped to the opposite side of her swing, swinging his shield below and into her blow to sweep it upwards, following up with the sword to gain additional force in the parry as her blow near glanced through his block and wounded him. OOCI'll give you free reign to god mod within reason as long as you do not take an action that will directly maim or wound Talen. One step - One step is just too slow! (: Feel free to write up a combination of swings and attacks.

[Nashira]

The crash of metal seemed as loud as a clap of thunder to Nashira as her sword swept upwards and away. She tensed the muscles in her hands, and lower arms, in an attempt to brace herself, and halt the upwards swing of her weapon. Its useless dash away from the body of her opponent. After a time, she managed, but it seemed like an eternity to her, and she felt, that if Talen bothered to be swift about it, he could dispatch her easily long before she had managed to drag her weapon back in. Nashira silently prayed to Syna that her brilliance would blind him, or Talen would choose to proceed with caution, buying her just the amount of time she needed to regain her footing, and rein her weapon in for another defensive maneuver. It seemed, strangely enough, that the sun was in her favor that day, causing the Ethaefal to bring her blade sweeping back in, under Talen's shield. At the rate it was moving, it would more than likely serve only to rake lightly against Talen's chest, and knock his blade away, creating a greater opening which Nashira could use to her advantage. If this should be the case, she'd swiftly sweep her sword down, in a diagonal line towards her left hip, before lifting it back up, underneath Talen's shield and sword, for yet another strike. OOCSorry, this was the best I could do. Sword fighting and me... we just don't seem to be friends just yet.

[Legion]

Thread Award Nashira Bastard Sword +5, Hypnotism +4 Talen Long Sword +3, Shield +4, Running +1 Consequence & Commentary Nice little training thread. As ever, feel free to PM me with questions or concerns.