[Razkar] Fire and Steel - Part 2

[Edreina]

"I teach as good as I can. I test you, and you prove you can hold. Now... you test me." Edreina's lips fell open with a quiet pop as Razkar began to remove his weapons harness. She adjusted her grip on the blade, eyeing it with apprehension. What if she made a mistake? What if she injured him in her fumbling? "Now we finish. With you steel... against my skin." At this, Edreina trembled, so very unsure of herself in that moment. Nerves showing themselves, Edreina reached reached up and brushed her hair back behind her ears. When Razkar began to move towards her, Edreina shied back a half-step, blue eyes wide and bright with fear. In all their fighting, she had never been truly afraid. When he had been coming after her with a blade, while she was unarmed she did not fear him. She trusted Razkar not to hurt her. Did she really deserve the same trust. "Not worry, Edri. This is challenge, and without challenge, warrior is nothing-" The last word was growled an instant before Razkar rushed at Edreina. The combination of the two items refueled Edreina's adrenaline. When he swung at her, she raised her gladius on instinct, hoping that he would find a way to avoid the blow. As expected, he avoided the blow and lashed out again an instant later. Despite buffeting that away, he caught her off guard with a blow to the shin that had her stumbling backwards. Before she could even recover, Razkar charged in close again, keeping her gladius out of the way. Surprisingly, he hit her wrist sharply, something she had not thought to do before, and then raised his elbow as if to send it into her neck. Aw hell... Seeing no other alternative, Edreina closed her eyes and slammed her forehead into Razkar. By the gods, he was not kidding when he said that it hurt. She knew that he fell, but could not seem to do anything other than cuss and hold her forehead. After a moment, she turned and looked upon a grinning with incredulous blue eyes. "Time to finish." Edreina charged at her friend in the same instant, throwing her shoulder into his chest. Both of them were knocked off balance and, as Razkar attempted to find a hold on Edreina's slick skin, punching her sharply in the ribs at the same time. As they brawled, Razkar stopping his punching to fend off her gladius, Edreina squirmed like a netted fish, eventually working her way out of the tangle. Not an instant after escaping one another's grip, they were engaged again, Edreina slashing at Razkar's torso with the gladius only to have him roll out of the way or slap the blade out of the way each time. Frustrated, she went back to elbowing him viciously, punching anywhere she saw an opening, kneeing him each chance she got. Shouting, Edreina slammed the but of the gladius into Razkar's upper thigh, crippling him and sending him stumbling back for an instant. He recovered quickly, whether it was willpower or some odd numbness, she did not know. Either way, he was hurling himself back at her with a vengeance. They exchanged uneven blows for a few moments, until Razkar ended up darting out of Edreina's range, keeping his back to her a moment too long. What was once play became real as she launched herself onto his back, quickly locking her ankles around his waist, gladius arm winding around his neck, held in place by her free hand. She tightened her arm, attempting to choke him out as she had seen Zindr do to an unruly drunk so many years ago. But, her grip was wrong and ineffectual. No sooner than she had grabbed on, Razkar jerked his head back and caught her square in the nose... again. With a yelp, Edreina was forced to drop both the gladius and her perch upon the Myrian, tumbling to the deck with a groaning thud. Holding her now gushing nose, Edreina scrambled onto her knees before swaying slightly, fighting the black holes that threatened to swallow her vision. Bloody, panting, and utterly spent, Edreina somehow managed to rise to her feet. Stumbling to the side, she swayed, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. Despite all of this, she raised a fist, ready to brawl until Razkar said that they were done.

[Razkar]

"The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug."

++++++++++

It was everything he had hoped it would be... and so was she.

Her hesitation at his unarmed form lasted only as long as it did for him to get his first blows in, fast and vicious jabs to her ribs that staggered her and made her sing out at him without remorse-

-only for him to sway back, spine creaking, blade flashing so close he could see his own eyes reflected in them. Then she was away, dancing and squirming and staggering all at once, but then they crashed together again.

Razkar couldn't remember the last time he had sparred unarmed, especially against a real weapon. The edge of danger it lent the experience was thrilling, like a fierce and potent tonic, but he was surprised to find it... easier, with his hands empty. No more worrying about meeting steel with steel, no weight on one side of his body, just an equality of emptiness on either side, and the freedom to move and dodge and roll and strike without further concern.

Liberating. But it still meant he had to be fast.

And he was, thank the Goddess. Unused to his empty hands and his increased speed - his Gnosis was burning even now, tapping into his battle-lust - her blows were parried or knocked aside, even swayed away from or rolled under, and the male had no idea where he was finding the strength for that. Finally her frustration with the blade boiled over and she started throwing elbows, fists, knees-

-hammering down with the hilt of his gladius at his thigh, yet another move he had taught her, driving him back-

But the Myrian just grinned with blood on his teeth, looking more like the fangs of a freshly-fed shark to her eyes now, and charged back toward he blade. She swung upwards at him and he slid and twisted at the same time, hammering a left jab into her stomach-

-keeping the spin going to slam a right elbow into her gladius arm, getting the reward of a yelp of pain-

-and an outraged Svefra on his back.

Razkar barked in surprise, cursing himself for leaving his spin too long, hobbling comically to the hoots of the crowd as Edreinas ankles slid around him, gladius coming around-

-he thought quickly, knowing the damage she could do with her (still) inexperienced hands holding a blade so close to his neck, even as she tried to-

Just do it and deal with it later. Better a broken nose than a slit-

-he hammered her head back, hard, and got a wet snap that made his heart rend when he heard it. Edreina howled like a wounded animal and the gladius clattered to the deck, her grip failing and her presence from his rear going with it.

He spun quickly and circled her, breathing hard, throat raw... and she rose... she came up and up even with blood pouring from her nose and dripping onto the deck. She swayed and she stumbled, covered in bruises, perhaps unable to even throw a-

-fist, that she held up to him, eyes still steady... and then her lips were pressed shut in a white, serious line. Ready to fight to the bitter end. Even the crowd was silent for this, shock and awe writ large on their faces...

Razkar of the Shorn Skulls held up his hands, beaming with pride, and shook his head.

"Like I said. We finish, Edri. We done."

He considered his next words carefully, for among his people they would mean much... and here, too, he would think. But she had earned them. By blood and brain and will, she had earned them.

"You win."

He dropped his arms and she did the same, swaying on her feet, nose...

Razkar winced. He would have to do something about that. He stepped over to her and held her face with both hands, roughly shushing her without a care. He'd seen wounds like that before: superficial (unless you were over-worried about your appearance, which most Myrian females weren't) but painful, and the pissed blood something fierce.

Only one way to fix it, too.

He felt carefully around her nose with his thumbs, noting but apparently ignoring her winces of pain... then positioned his thumbs where they needed to be, just below the ugly, uneven lump where her nose bone had been shifted to...

"So, you ever fuck a Myrian?"

The look of absolute shock on Edreina's face was-

With a jerk he drove his thumbs up, and set her nose back into a straight line.

-exactly the distraction he needed.

Razkar was smart enough to snap his hands off her and step quickly back as her agonized squeal hit the breeze, wincing as though it were him in pain. She'd thank him later, though. If he left it like it was, the bleeding would stop, but she'd look a Sunberth brawler for the rest of her life.

"Sorry for rude word, but had to get mind somewhere else..."

[Edreina]

"Like I said. We finish, Edri. We done. You win." Edreina's was astounded, nose pouring into her hand as she attempted to contemplate the statement. She had won? She let her fist fall to her side, swaying and nearly stumbling with nothing but a faint, exhausted sense of pride to hold her upright. She pulled her hand away, like an idiot, to examine the contents of her nose. Immediately, her stomach began churning and she had to take deep, hissing breaths through her mouth, rolling her eyes up towards the sky. Silently, she prayed that she would not show the slowly departing crowd the contents of her lunch. Just as she was about to pinch her nose closed, rough hands seized her face. Lowering her eyes slightly, Edreina saw Razkar's dark eyes studying her intently. "But-" Razkar shushed her, narrowing his eyes slightly as he began to probe at her nose with his thumbs. Edreina was unable to fight the wince nor the pathetic whimper that escaped her control as he sent spikes of pain into her skull. Belatedly, she realized that it must be broken. Perhaps she should go see a medic... "So, you ever fuck a Myrian?" Ever fucked- ... a what!? Edreina's watery blue eyes opened to their max as she attempted to fathom the question. She stood there gushing from the nose and he took this chance to proposition her? Oh the nerve of- He did not really seem intent upon her answer and Edreina shortly found out why as he jerked her nose back into place. The screeching sound that left Edreina's throat was absolutely animalistic in the primal emotions that it portrayed. Unable to fight it, she fell to her knees, cursing in mutters that sent sprays of blood pattering to the deck. She clutched her nose, trembling as she fought tears. The salty, coppery taste of blood began to leak into her mouth, causing her to gag and spit on the deck. "Dammit, Myrian!" She was not actually mad at him. It just made her feel better to yell at him, muffled and nasal sounding through her hand. Oh this is disgusting... Scrambling weakly, Edreina moved over to the railing and hung herself over it, armpits resting on the railing as she put her bloody hands into the salty water, giving up on attempting to stem the flow of blood. Instead, she chose to let it drip into the Suvan, blowing out of her nose in a rather unattractive matter every time that it felt close to dripping onto her mouth again. It doesn't work very well so she decides instead to continuously wipe at her nose with wet hands. It burns slightly but seems to slow the bleeding. "Sorry for rude word, but had to get mind somewhere else..." "Oh yeah... great place to send it to." Edreina was sarcastic, glaring at her warped reflection in the water. She shuddered, again fighting nausea. Finally, she sighed, annoyance fading to a concession. "Thanks, Raz." She did not say for what, deciding instead to continue her ablutions. She felt him come and sit beside her with a thud, but did not bother to turn her head to look at him. When the bleeding finally stopped, she remained in her awkward kneeling position, afraid that moving might cause her body to ache more than it already was. She felt sticky and disgusting and exhausted. She just wanted to go scrub off in the Suvan then sleep for a few days. Her slow mind did not really want to make conversation, or even think at all for that matter. For an instant, the water stilled enough for Edreina to see a swollen and discolored visage. "Gods... you made me hideous!" She moaned it, grinning despite herself as she continued to look upon the ever shifting mirror surface. With a groan, she turned and sat on her rear against the railing, resting her head back against the railing, lank hair cascading weakly down her shoulders. Ignoring the way that her muscles protested, she raised a bruised fist and offered it to Razkar, muttering, "Good fight..."

[Razkar]

"Oh yeah... great place to send it to."

The Myrian winced again at her words, but for a different reason. Yeah, he really should have thought of that... complication, especially considering her feelings for him. But he needed a distraction, and that was the best way to provide it... that and it was kind of funny-

"Thanks, Raz."

Razkar sighed softly and planted his arse next to hers, immediately wincing as even that simple impact jarred up the length of his battered body. He looked down into the water, disturbed and rippling as it was with Edreina washing herself next to him, and grimaced.

"Gods... you made me hideous!"

"You made me..." Razkar cocked his head at his cut lip and purple cheeks and swollen eye... not to mention the distinct jiggling from two of his teeth. "... actually, it is improve."

That at least got a chuckle out of her, or a death rattle that had some kind of humor behind it. Finally his Svefra friend settled back and he recognized well that exhausted but euphoric look on her fact, one that spoke of fatigue and pain... and victory. She raised a fist and Razkar smiled even wider. Ah, so they had that gesture among the barbarians, too? Perhaps the ancient Myrians taught it to them

"Good fight..."

Razkar touched her knuckles to hers briefly and chuckled as they both twinged in pain... then twinged again when their rattling ribs protested. The Myrian let himself roll back, spine stretching out, cool deck welcoming his sore body like an old friend.

"Good student..."

[Anchor]

Loot Edreina's Find : Skill Points Gladius 1 Brawling 2 Lore Blocking: Loose Arm Ax: Slash and Hack Razkar: Unarmed Danger Player 2's Find : Skill Points Ax 2 Teaching 2 Brawling 3 Lore Edreina: Full of Surprises I had fun reading this, but unfortunately Edreina godmods quite a bit in this thread. I've talked to her about it and I think she's coming up with a solution, but until then I'm going to penalize for it. Any instances where I saw it didn't count, but I still did award for the more legitimate uses of the skills. Also, Razkar's skill points may seem a bit small, but you are master in hand-ax and expert in brawling. Sparring with a novice will earn you some skill points, but not nearly as much as a more suitable threat. There's something else I'd like to mention: there was a point in the thread where you swung with your ax, kicked with your leg, and punched with your other arm. And you hit her. I don't think that's physically possible, even for a master in acrobatics, just because of the limitations of the human (or Myrian) body. His right ax is out and forward, and then his right leg is out and forward as well because of the kick. Throwing the punch alone would require a good deal of acrobatics if you were to avoid falling over, and even then the twisting of the body would greatly limit the range of the arm. On top of that, Edreina steps back - not to the side, back. If it were to the side I could understand it because you'd plant your leg and bring your fist forward, but since she stepped back... that's contortionist work to be able to hit her. Just, watch your limits. You two should go exploring out on the Suvan one time. You've spent so long in Razkar's element, combat, and haven't wandered nearly as far into Edreina's, swimming and exploration. Share the limelight Raz.