[Flashback] With all the Strength of a Raging Fire (Solo)

[Talya]

Timestamp: Fall 34, 512 AV The days seemed darker than they had before. The clouds grayer, as they were laden with the impending rains that simply refused to fall. They loomed overhead, hovering what seemed directly above the trees as Talya entered the practice clearing, not far from Ravok's borders, and awaited the image again. She supposed it might not show now that she had spent so many days fighting other things, and thought that this most likely would be the roughest day of training, of all. It seemed apt, and more than appropriate then for the occasion that the weather as as it was. The air crisp and cool, the wind blowing fiercely on the leaves that still filled the trees, their edges grayed by the sky. Rustling rapidly, just as those that had died, and were left only to roll uselessly across the ground, over the field that would hold yet another battle. Talya wasn't left to wait long, as a zith flew into the clearing a few minutes later, sporting their typical dark fur, wings, and rows upon rows of sharp looking teeth, and of course claws so sharp, that it may be more painful than being cut by her blade. Talya smirked as the zith came to square off against her, as it suggested it couldn't use its wings for one reason or another, although a sort of hardened grin fell across the zith's thin lips, and an intensity to his dark colored eyes. Not a bandage to be seen though, even on the wings she supposed injured. Whatever the case, the zith seemed determined defeat her, as it growled and snarled, and slashed in warning at the air with its claws. Its eyes glowing menacingly, its stomach rumbling. She wondered if she would be dinner if she lost. The Zith seemed to move into a starting position used by most of those that knew unarmed combat. Talya breathed deeply as soon as she noticed this, worried in some ways over what was about to transpire, as she to unsheathed her weapon. She decided to go back to holding it in a backward stance today, as she settled into her starting position and waited. The zith seemed to be in no mood to keep her waiting in any sort of situation, as the instant she had settled, he darted forward. Keeping his right arm bent at the elbow, and held forward, in front of his chest in a defensive position. Noticing this and thinking it a bit strange, Talya's brow furrowed as she sank further into her stance, and placed even more weight on her left foot. She narrowed her eyes as the zith came within striking distance, and moved his arm over to his side. Sensing an opening, she shuffled a few inches forward, while raising her blade high over her head, and then sweeping it back down, as though trying to spear the zith's shoulder. Her attack struck nothing more than air however, as just before she made contact, and perhaps a little before, the zith threw himself into a forward roll. One where he moved over his left shoulder more than his head, and moved by her side. Past the right portion of her body, and a tad behind, so that he came out of his roll after slapping her right calve with the palm of his hand, knocking Talya forward. He sprang to his feet in a hurry, it seemed, as Talya didn't even have the time to turn and kick him while he was down, although she tried. The zith was definitely holding back on me before, Tal thought to herself, as she followed his trail with her obsidian eyes. Her hand tightening around the hilt of the dagger as he squared off with her once more, and Talya fell into a rather unassuming stance. One where the left hand was held behind her back, and out of the way, and the right was bent at the elbow, and held about seven inches before her in a defensive position. Her left foot led, so that the rest of her starting stance was reversed, but her feet weren't spaced as far apart as usual. She grit her teeth as they each stared each other down, and then she darted forward, swinging her right arm out to the side, so that it continued the line of her shoulder. When she came within striking distance of her opponent, she swept her arm inward, cutting across his shoulder line. But the zith took a step back, and raised his arm, halting the attack. Since the arm and blade rested to the left and right to each other, Talya slid her blade down, toward its belly button, but the zith simply stepped out of the way of this attack as well. With her arm dropped, Talya left herself somewhat open, and the zith slapped her upper right arm with his palm before she managed to dance back, and out of the way.

[Talya]

The zith didn't offer Talya a moment's rest. He surged forward, and began to move his arm in a complex framework of directions. First he slashed at Talya's right shoulder, then he hacked at the air in front of her as she took a step away from him. When he dove for her left shoulder, Talya slapped his arm away, before he swept his up, and then back down in a half circle down to her middle. He then continued circling wildly, following the outer framework of her body, forcing her to step back, and then raise her blade to intercept his hand from time to time. But the zith's attacks proved to be relentless, the moment she moved, was the same moment he seemed to be on top of her again, slashing at her with his claws. It was in those moments, well one of them anyway, that Talya finally realized that she needed to be more like that- relentless, harrying her opponent constantly until they slipped up and lost the battle. She decided to be more like the zith, and finally, turn the tides of their battle. Talya took a deep cleansing breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth before gliding forward, and stepping around the side of image's body. She tossed her blade from her right hand to her left, lightly, and somehow managed to catch it. She instantly brought her left hand out from its inward position, by the center of her chest, out, and slapped zith's side before he had realized what had happened, just before he returned the favor, and she handed the blade back to her other hand, so as not to handicap herself as she turned back around to face him. She found that he too, was clenching his teeth as he came forward again, and lunged for her. Extending his arm to bring his fist, and plunge it against her heart. Talya smirked as she whacked his arm aside, forcing the zith's trembling limb aside before moving into the opening it had provided her with. She charged forward, presenting the zith with her side. In another breath, she rammed her shoulder into him, knocking him back a few paces, which gave her ample time to slash across the belly with the flat of her blade, drawing a little blood. Another twist of her wrist, and Talya's dagger was back the way it had started, and she was dancing back around the zith's right side. As she passed, the zith slapped her behind with the flat of his hand, as one might the rump of a horse to get it moving. Talya's face reddened a little as she turned around, and swept her dagger in and back out in angry retaliation, her face growing warm as the zith raised his arm to block her, and she was forced to move her weapon back in the path it had taken, before cutting it back down toward his hip. Another strike he avoided by taking a step back, out of the way, before moving in again and slashing at her dagger wielding arm. Naturally, Talya found this easy enough to block, although his underhanded swoop to strike her right shoulder, she did not have the time for, and faced the sting of his slap a second or two later. A hard hit, she knew would bruise on the morrow. She clenched her teeth as she darted forward, and began waving her blade around in an attempt to dizzy him. First to his right shoulder. Then the left. His left hip. His middle. His heart. His neck, his head. His side, his other side. The annoying grin on his face, his chin again, his left hand, his heart, his right shoulder, until her throat ached as it grew dry, and more sweat appeared on her brow from exertion, all the while the zith blocked, or sailed out of the way of her attacks, in what appeared an effortless manner.

[Talya]

Talya's eyes narrowed as an intensity burned within her heart that she hadn't felt before. A sort of fire that made her want to keep going, although the cool air of the day bit at her throat as much as it continued to dry it, and although her arms and limbs ached from exertion, her muscles throbbing dully from their soreness. It was then that Talya decided she wanted to try things that she hadn't before; take risks, even though it may cost her the fight, or she may be too tired, or even unskilled to perform the sort of moves she had in mind. That said, she still wanted to win, just like just about everyone else in the world, and she was still going to do her level best to make sure that that happened. So, she ran her thumb idly over the hilt of her dagger as she tightened her grip around it, and prepared herself with a few deep breaths in through her nose, and out through her mouth. This time, when the zith came for her, swinging diagonally across her shoulder line with his arm, Talya ducked under it, and then sprang up on her feet again. With her left hand she grabbed the outside of his right arm, (which was now a fair distance past her), the fur bristling, and held it tightly in her grip in a place near the shoulder, but still on the bicep. As she forced her blade to come closer against her skin, tucking neatly against the flesh, with the point just above the elbow, she reached forward, and grabbed a clump of fur by his heart, leaving the dagger to stay against her, instead of attack. She then jerked him back with all of her might, so that they were soon falling through the air. A second later, it seemed, she had landed on her back, hard, and a sharp shooting pain had coursed up the length of her spine. She ignored this however, although her muscles wanted to protest, as she raised her right leg, and forced it into the zith's gut. Kicking him in the area right about his belly button, just as much as she fought to support him with the strength of her limb. Talya could feel her leg crumbling, her leg bending at the knee beneath his weight. Wobbling, as he stared at her in confusion, and slapped her leg with the side of his arm a few times, as with whatever strength she could muster, she pulled him back, in an attempt to throw him over her head. But it didn't work, luckily, the zith had had the foresight to flap its wings and move over Talya so that it wouldn't harm either of them, and it thud angrily against the forest floor by Talya's left side. She imagined that his body twisted in the air though, and seemed to move close to halfway over, before he flopped, his feet on the forest floor, but the rest of him atop her. The zith rolled over and kicked her as she groaned, and tightened her grip on her dagger. The point having nicked her skin a bit, so it bled a little, but didn't seem to cause much pain. Maybe it just hadn't hit her yet, she wasn't entirely sure as she got to her feet, inspected the wound withing a fraction of a second, thought little of it, and turned to face her opponent again.

[Talya]

The zith swung his arm inwardly, forcing Talya to step back to avoid it, before moving around the side of the attempted strike. She glided forward, and raised her left leg up. She bent it at the knee, which she brought toward her chest. As she did this, she swept her right arm out to the right side of her body, and as she brought her foot down on zith's right foot, she drew her arm in, and slashed across the side, cutting him with the point of her blade again, on his arm, just before he managed to complete his next attempted strike aimed at her middle. With the land of the attack, the two glided apart, and faced off again, their chests rising and falling rapidly as they glared at one another, wondering who would be able to get the next move in, and hit their opponent. The zith was the first to try an attack. He strode forward, and when within striking distance, slashed at Talya's right side. She raised her blade and blocked. A muffled thud rang through the clearing, as the arm and blade fell apart, and the zith tried for her shoulder. Talya raised her blade a little higher, and blocked again. As he swung at her hip, she took a step back, and as he went for her middle again, she lowered her blade to block, and push his arm away before moving a step closer, and swiping at his elbow. This time, the zith was the one to block, as Talya swept her hand around his barricade in a small circle, and then stepped forward, before letting her right foot slide out into a lunge. Her wrist flicking, so that the blade turned, and she would be able to strike his lead shoulder from the outside. Again, the zith took a step back, and barred her. Again, a muffled thud sounded in the clearing, as the air seemed to grow cooler, mistier, while the pair took a step away from one another. They faced off again, before Talya sprang forward, and urged her body into a more traditional lunge, after a flick of the wrist brought her blade into a straightforward grip. Again, she was blocked, and the zith danced around her and slapped her sides with his arms repeatedly as she straightened herself out and turned to face him as the first droplets of rain fell. They pittered softly on the grass. Talya took a more steps back from her opponent, before moving forward and slashing wildly at the zith. But it danced away and then took to the air. She watched it go before looking down to find that Martin's image had reappeared, and, finally, sheathed her blade. The image looked at her funny, but did the same. "We should turn in before the rain gets any worse," Talya commented. The image nodded. "Alright. We fought well here today and I won't tire you further, but I expect to see you again tomorrow," she pictured it saying. Talya nodded. "Of course," she replied before she walked off to find a boat to ferry her back into the city, and the image vanished.