Completed In the Face of Danger

[Aladari Coolwater]

4th of Spring, 516 AV "Aye, ain't my fault, lassie! Is just the way the dice fell, you hear?" "Just the way the dice fell?" Aladari fumed, pushing back her chair loudly and leaning over the table. "The dice. You broke the game. You cheat!" It was times like these she wished she knew more Common. She had not been taught many of the words necessary for a night of gambling, and she knew only what she had picked up from her time in bars. But her broken yammering got the message across just fine to the drunks of Tall Johnny's. At the mention of cheating, the man running the game scurried over to their table in the dark, smokey corner. His eyes were wide, his smile plastered on while he spoke. "Now, now, folks. What's wrong? Aye, calm yerselves. I'm sure we can sort this out." Aladari turned her eyes of burning black on the host. "Sort this out?" She snorted. "Easy. I need my money." The host nodded and smiled without emotion, repeating somewhat insistently, "I'm sure we can sort this out." The chubby, drunk man with whom Aladari had been gambling leaned forward in his seat, appealing to the host with his hands open and facing outward as if to show he was holding nothing. He looked a bit sheepish, like he was embarrassed that he had drawn such attention to himself, but everyone knew better. All the attention was only going to get him free drinks from the scantily-dressed women and claps on the back from the other cheaters. Nevertheless, he insisted upon his innocence, keeping up the show. "I didn't cheat. You know me, Papo." The host, apparently Papo, slid his hand across his forehead nervously. "I sure do, kid. And yer good to us here. But we can't ignore this little lady." Ignoring Aladari's glare at being called a little lady, he continued on quickly. "Ya know what? How abouts I get both of you some drinks and we call this good, huh?" Aladari's head snapped backwards. "Drinks?" She shouted, "I lost Mizas! 10 gold! And I get drinks? No, I need my money. Now." "There ain't much we can do, ma'am. You might have to settle that with this sir personally. All I can offer is a drink." In a second, Aladari's dark gaze turned on her gambling partner. "How we will settle this?" She asked expectantly. When he didn't respond, she stood and looked about, searching for some form of competition that he couldn't rig. Her eyes landed on, of course, the cage.

[Aladari Coolwater]

Even living in Sunberth, and being herself, Aladari still had limits. She had sworn to herself she would never take up drugs. She would never get gotten with child. And most importantly, she would never put her life on the line in the Blood Pits. It was dangerous, yes, as were most things she did, but it was also senseless. It would gain her nothing but a visit to a questionably competent doctor, and perhaps a handful of coin if she was lucky. However, unlike the Blood Pits, the cage fights sometimes ended with two survivors. As long as it was a good fight, the audience would still enjoy the blood and gore, and they could still resolve their bets. On top of that, the owner would likely be happy to see the dispute resolved in an honest way. So, with this in mind, Aladari spoke up. "You willin' to settle this like a man?" She taunted, "A'cause I was thinkin' we could talk to Tall Johnny and make something up in the cage, huh?" Her smile spread as the gambler's faded. "I dunno about that. How abouts I give you back 2 gold and we be good?" Aladari laughed and spit on the ground. He had already disgraced her in front of the other gamblers by implying she was lying, and now he wanted to bribe her into staying quiet? She couldn't and wouldn't let him treat her like that. Loudly, so that she knew multiple surrounding patrons could hear, she announced that she would meet him in the cage. She twirled around and walked away grinning at the sight of the blood draining from the man's face. Tall Johnny was not hard to find; he was never hard to find. The man was taller than anyone else in there, and his finely groomed mustache made him stand out even more among the dirty addicts and brutes that populated his place. Upon spotting the proprietor, Aladari pushed her way forward eagerly. "Johnny! Tall Johnny!" The figure turned slowly, his eyes twinkling with a certain spark that Aladari couldn't place. Was it mischief in his eyes? Cleverness? Was the spark from the knowledge that he would soon have even more coin, or was it a mere reflection of the low lights behind him? Whatever the cause, it was enchanting, and the Vantha found herself charmed by the man's gentle appearance and soft accent. "What is it that you'll need, hun?" Tall Johnny asked in a smooth voice. "I'm making a time for a fight, sir." She replied shortly. "Well now, we're booked for the night, but I might see if I can get you a spot if it's important. What do you think, hmm?" Aladari nodded sharply, at which point Tall Johnny chuckled. "Alright, then. I'll see what I can do for you. You just wait right here." All the seats at the bar were taken, so Aladari stood uncomfortably for a tick, but it was no longer than that before Tall Johnny came back. "Good news," He said, "I've found an opening just for you in 10 chimes. Can you make that time?" Aladari nodded again, silently noting the time in her head. "Perfect. And who else will be there? I need to know for the bookies." He rolled his eyes, but smiled, as if he thought the antics of the bookies quite silly, but something he put up with. Aladari couldn't help but smile back as she pointed out the man in the crowd. She wasn't excited (her eyes had cooled from a deep black anger to a mere dark brown), but the bartender's smile was contagious. "And does he know that he's signed up?" Johnny asked. Just as he asked, Aladari's partner turned and caught their eyes, his face turning grim as he spotted them. Johnny laughed again. "I'll take that as a yes." Tall Johnny stood back up straight, waving a hand to Aladari in dismissal. "I'll see you in the cage in 10 chimes, hun. And, good luck."

[Aladari Coolwater]

Aladari bounced on her toes, shaking her arms out as she had seen brawlers do before. She wasn't sure exactly what it was supposed to help, but she knew everyone did it, and she knew it helped calm her nerves and beating heart. At the same time, she took measured breaths. She gulped in air through her mouth, blowing the hot air out through her nose forcefully. Calm! She reminded herself. Stay calm and you'll be fine. He's drunker than you. He's fatter than you. You've got stronger arms, a stronger will! Her private pep talk, as brief and sharp as it was, did her some good. Her body relaxed slightly, and her mind silenced for a moment. In the reprieve, her clear mind reminded her that she was, in fact, insane. But before she could dwell on that thought too long, her opponent entered the cage. He stood at her height, but he was heavier set, and bore less muscles. He looked as though he had lived a comfortable life of information brokering or swindling. His face was unshaven, his eyes shifty, and his hands in tight, nervous fists. He had no weapons, so perhaps, if Morwen was kind, it would be an easy fight. And if she wasn't... "Are you ready for the next fight?" Tall Johnny's voice carried easily, and as soon as he spoke, the crowd hushed to a soft murmur. They listened attentively, waiting for the odds. "Our next challenger of the evening is a lovely Vantha lass, looking to reclaim her honor and her coin from the Svefra man on the opposite side of the cage. She said he cheated her, he said all was fair, and here they are, folks, ready to find out who was right. Who wants it more. Good luck to everyone out there, and let's see some blood!" The crowd cheered and shifted about as Mizas floated from hand to hand. When the bets were placed, the noise settled, an expectant quiet creeping out until Aladari could feel it in the cage. She shivered. Across from her, her opponent did the same. They shared a look in that moment, a tick of fear, and then Tall Johnny's voice rose again. "Ready, steady, go!"

[Aladari Coolwater]

There was a brief lull after Tall Johnny announced the start. No one moved- no one spoke. Instead, there was merely the hushed excitement of anticipation. It lasted a tick. Then it was gone. It was replaced by the sound of the crowd, similar to the crashing of waves in a storm, but louder than Aladari could stand. She instantly ducked, trying to get away from the sound. And it was good that she did, because it was that instinctive flinch that caused her opponent to miss her on his first punch. She hadn't realized he was so close, but he certainly was. The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath and in his clothes. He was already sweating, though with nerves or exertion she couldn't tell. His thick, bulky fist swung just over her head, scraping her scalp and ripping the top layer of skin off of his knuckles. Her head, too, felt as though she had concurred a sort of rash. Aladari scowled. "You didn't even tell me we were starting!" She protested in Vani. The man gave no sign of remorse, or indeed of understanding. He simply grunted and swung another wayward fist at the girl. This one made a solid impact with her chest, causing a sharp pain to shoot down her left arm. She gasped and took a step back, out of range, so she could recover. He was unrelenting, though. Fueled by the fire in her chest, Aladari met him this time. She took a step forward when he did, holding her arms close to guard her chest, and throwing a wild kick with her right foot. She was not particularly good at aiming, nor was she trying, so it was stupid luck that her foot made the connection with his kneecap. The man howled like a wounded animal, his leg collapsing underneath him. He managed to stay standing, but she could see him favoring the leg when he moved towards her again. Taking this to her advantage, Aladari waited until he was close to her, and ran. She was trying to get around to his backside, where he would be unable to protect himself, but the plan backfired. Before she could even get past the man, he threw out his leg, causing her to crash to the floor, skidding a distance and giving her a good burn on her stomach. She tried to scramble to her feet, but it wasn't enough. The man was on top of her before she could even get to her knees. For the first time since the fight had begun, the crowd was excited. A few people began to cheer, while others (presumably those on Aladari's side) booed. Above her, the man was brutal. He pressed his good knee into her back with all his weight, successfully pinning her.With his hands, he grabbed her head and smashed it into the ground. Aladari screamed involuntarily as the hard ground hit her jaw and caused her to bite into her tongue. Blood left her mouth in spurts and droplets. Seeing that she wouldn't be fighting back with her teeth anytime soon, the man moved on. He shifted his hands down, locking them around her neck and squeezing as tightly as he could. Aladari could feel the blood stopping in her head. Luckily, he didn't know what he was doing, and squeezed from the sides rather than the front. So, instead of crushing her windpipe, this mistake gave Aladari a few minutes to fight back before she passed out. Finally able to find a gap in his assault, Aladari began to flail about underneath him. She kicked her legs behind her, squirming fruitlessly as she did so. Her kicks, however, turned out to be beneficial, as she soon enough felt her heel connect with a soft spot behind her. The man grunted and loosened his grip on her neck. Given this chance, she gave one last push and flipped over, using both her arms and legs to throw the man off of her. She could hardly hear the crowd stomping its feet and clapping its hands wildly as she stumbled to stand over the man laying on the ground. She was too deep in the fight, her eyes a dark, almost menacing, glowing violet. "My Mizas?" She asked expectantly. The man shook his head stubbornly. Aladari delivered another kick to his injured knee, which caused the man to grimace in pain before she pressed that foot into his chest. Her feet were covered only in thin boots, so the foot on his chest wasn't as effective as if she had opted for riding, or even metal-reinforced boots, but it was still threatening. The man was vulnerable, and she was in power. It was almost enough to make her smile, but the thought of enjoying the combat sickened her, and so the smile was dead before it had started. She moved her foot up to his neck, where he grabbed at her low boots, trying his best to remove her from on top of him. On the ground, he had no leverage, and so he was only able to gasp and struggle against the pressure on his throat. "My Mizas." She said again. It was no longer a question. It was a command.

[Aladari Coolwater]

The man under her foot laughed, and it was a horroble wheezing sound as he freed the breath from his tight throat. "Petch ya." He snarled. Aladari paused for a tick. Not because she was confused, or even considering what to say, but simply because she hadn't thought he'd take it this far, and she knew not what to do. She thought about letting him go, but knew she might not live to regret it. She also played with the idea of giving in to her anger, and the crowd's demands, and killing him. But she brushed that thought away quickly; she would never sleep again if she killed a man over Mizas. The only thing she could think of would be to steal the Mizas back and walk away. She would keep her honor intact by "winning", but would also have a relatively clean conscious. Satisfied, she knelt on his chest and moved her hands to both his sides. She felt up and down his torso, patting and searching for a purse. She found none, and so sat down on his chest to move to his pants. The crowd found this horribly amusing, and there were whistles and catcalls a plenty. They hooted with laughter and hollered masty things at Aladari. She ignored them entirely. She was intent on finding her gold. Eventually, she found the coin purse, which was sewn into the hem of the pants. Clever, She thought. She dug through the purse and counted out 11 gold (one for her troubles). She pocketed the gold, and then rose, allowing get opponent to breathe again. "I am done." She declared. When the crowd saw her headed to the exit, they booed and hissed. They had not yet seen enough blood. But Aladari was already set in her mind. She continued on, even as old rags and empty glasses were tossed at her from above. Tall Johnny announced nothing, and her opponent did not concede. She had technically lost, despite achieving her goal. She knew she would never be welcome back into the cage. But it was worth her Mizas. She was tired, drunk, and richer than when she had arrived. It was a success in her mind.

[Konrad Venger]

Aladari XP: Rhetoric - 2 Negotiation - 1 Observation - 2 Endurance - 1 Unarmed Combat - 2 Intimidation - 1 Lore: Sunberth Location: Tall Johnny's Practicalities of Sunberth: Debts are Paid in Mizas or Blood, not Petching Booze! Sunberth Location: Blood Pits Tall Johnny: No Matter What, He makes his Coin I'll not Murder over Mizas Click Me! : Okey-dokey, you lost ten mizas and got ten back, so you're breaking even as far as mizas go. I would have given you some injuries BUT by this time they would have mostly healed up. Most just minor cuts and bruises. This was a nice concept and you're always fun to read, but the combat stuff needs improvement. Leaps in logic, mainly. The biggest one was how you went from on your stomach, pinned down, with him strangling you... to standing over him victorious... in the space of two paragraphs, and as far as I could tell, it was a few blind kicks that did it. No. Just no. But this was your first time fighting so I understand if you brushed over a lot of it. But next time, really make it HARD for yourself. That's the best way to write combat: be detailed, thorough and never make it easy. It tells a better story, challenges you to write better and, honestly, you'll reap greater rewards. Oh, and please make sure you go back and edit your post in the Request Thread to reflect the fact this one is now done and dusted. PM me with any questions and later 'tater!