Fearless (solo)

[Siiri]

Timestamp: 10th of Fall, 511 AV
Location: Training grounds

"Get up, you petching sha'lokk! You're getting ass all over the dirt."

For the second time that day in the span of three chimes, Siiri found herself lying on the training arena's earthen ground, her rump smarting painfully, but not much as her wounded pride. She couldn't remember how she ended up in a fight with Eena, the events of the past half hour came by too fast for her to think straight. Not that she could, being so pissed at her superior officer and all.

Or rather, ex-superior officer. Siiri had been temporarily discharged from service to give her injured arm time to heal, and the fact did not sit well with Eena. Siiri had been her second before her grievous injury, and without the skilled warrioress to act as the anchor for their fang in skirmishes outside the city walls, Eena's group had become the butt of jokes within the barracks. It was no secret that her fang had performed poorly over the last season because of Siiri's absence.

And so Eena had decided to vent her frustrations on the one person she thought was to blame for her loss of face. Marching up to Siiri, a storm brewing in her expression, the Swooping Talons interrupted the class her subordinate was teaching and let loose a plethora of rather unpolite words. Most of what she had said revolved around Siiri's widening hips and plumper-than-usual bosom, for the Snapping Jaws warrior had indeed put on a little weight from her time off, and not all of it was muscle. Now for her part, Siiri - also frustrated herself because of the lack of action due to her reprieve - realized that she did not have to stand to military protocol, and suggested to Eena that she do something anatomically impossible, though her words were much more colorful and her tone more forceful than a stampeding herd of tskanna. In the rational part of her mind, Siiri knew that Eena was just letting off steam. But then, Siiri was seldom rational when she herself as ticked off.

The next thing she knew, Siiri had left the class to the care of one of her sisters and had marched off to the training grounds to settle her differences with Eena. And now she was lying on her back.

Again.

A smattering of chuckles echoed through the loose crowd that gathered to watch the duel between the fangmates, the loudest among them belonging to Goro. Siiri did not have time to think of a curse word to direct at the lumbering fool, so focused was her anger at Eena. The woman was embarrassing her in front of everyone - Siiri had seen Kash'jiya, a one-time sponsor for her Tiger Trials, among the crowd, a frown on her face as she beheld the spectacle of the fight - and to add insult to injury, Eena was using a spear to school her. A spear! It was a well known fact that Siiri despised what she thought was the crudest and simplest form of weapon, and now Eena was using it to own her in the training grounds.

Without her injury, Siiri would have cleaved the spearhead off on her first move and told Eena that she would take away the shaft next and then tell her where she would put it. As it were, however, Siiri was technically fighting one handed. Oh, she could hold her greatsword with both hands now with hardly any pain on her once-broken right forearm, but swinging it around was another matter entirely. Her right arm was still covered by the quick-drying poultice Tingu had applied, and then wrapped with herbs that were supposed to seep into the poultice and promote healing, and then wrapped once more with bandages. The herbalist had told her that the broken bones had fused together just fine and it would be good as new in no time. At that moment however, to the warrioress, it felt like the limb was encased in stone. It hampered the speed of her swings, blocks and counterattacks, allowing Eena to beat on her with abandon.

And she's even using moves I patented, Siiri groused. Bitch.

The attacks that sent her sprawling in the dirt was a simple stabbing jab feint that, when blocked, was easily reversed to sweep the opponents of their feet. It was a trick Siiri had used to embarrass others, and now it was being used on her. Quite effectively too, since she was too slow to prevent it even if she knew it was coming.

But ever prideful, the Snapping Jaws warrioress refused to use her injury as an excuse.

For the second time that day, Siiri stood up, holding Slayer in a neutral position. She did not bother to dust off the dirt that clung to her tanned skin.

[Siiri]

Siiri stood her ground, content to let Eena circle her as the other woman prodded her defenses once more, searching for points of vulnerability. The Snapping Jaws warrior's right side was especially prone to attack so she presented her left side more to shield it. It proved a detriment to her counterattacks however, since her left arm was currently the strong and thus the origin of the strength behind her swings. The stance made it so much easier for her opponent to read her as she telegraphed her motives.

This time though, Siiri refused to make the first move.

"You just going to stand there like a target?" Eena taunted as she prodded her spear at Siiri's exposed flank. It was easily deflected by a downward sweep of the greatsword, with much force behind it, but ever canny, Eena was quick to retract the wooden shaft of her weapon. Both of them knew it wasn't a real attack anyway.

"Attack, Myrian! Attack!" Eena continued. "You have no defenses to speak of - none that I can't break through! Where's the spirit of the Tiger in you? Show me the warrior that served my band!

"Or are you content to add more curves to your figure...like a human woman!"

Siiri's lips pressed into a thin line, her grip tightening around the strip of leather that covered the hilt of Slayer. She was being goaded, she knew that. But once pressed into action, and with her trademark blade in her hands, Siiri fought with the rage of a wolverine. Except she wasn't a very effective one at the moment.

The cold steel blade of the greatsword stabbed forward - there was a brief hesitation halfway through its motion as her right arm reached its maximum point of extension without pain biting into the limb - and Siiri completed it with just her left hand as she lunged for Eena's face. It made her overextend and her opponent immediately capitalized by tapping Slayer with her spear to give the illusion of a block, before ducking under it and dancing to Siiri's exposed side. The spear swiftly changed direction, the butt end of the shaft suddenly leaping forward into a jab at Siiri's right shoulder.

The warrioress took the hit stoically, even if she could not stop herself from grimacing from the pain. But she had expected the move and was prepared to act accordingly. Her right hand already gripped the ricasso of Slayer, the way she held the weapon allowing her to wield it similar to a polearm. Half-swording, the term was called, and it was a move that quickened her swings because of the shortened grip. She jabbed at Eena once more, the tip of her blade aimed at the woman's midsection this time, forcing her to backpedal. Siiri matched each retreating step with her own advancing ones, following up her dodged attack with an upswing that would have opened up her opponent from navel to throat.

Eena was forced to blocked the incoming blade with her spear and Siiri achieved what she had hoped to do so minutes earlier: the greatsword's keen edge severed the spearhead cleanly off the rest of the shaft.

A little too cleanly, as she would soon realized, for Eena had positioned the spear just right so that the spear point was sliced off at an angle. It left her with a wooden stake, one end still sharp enough to be deadly in battle. Like a pike, she used it to counter Siiri with multiple stabs on her right side. The first one grazed her, drawing blood on her bicep, but the rest she avoided by sidestepping away from them. Eena punished her for the move by wielding the shaft like a bat and swatting her on the arm.

The impact must have hit a nerve as Siiri momentarily lost all feeling on her right arm from the elbow down, resulting to her releasing her right hand's hold on her own weapon. Her face took on an expression of clear surprise even before Eena shifted her grip again and tripped her once more with spear-turned-stave.

And for the third time that day, Siiri found herself on her back.

Skurak.

[Siiri]

Nearby, two women had been watching the one-sided fight from the very beginning, the novelty of an injured warrior challenging one who was in full health with regards to her faculties (and a superior to boot) clearly serving as amusement for the day for the both of them. That perception had clearly wore out as the fight went on however, as proved when one of them spat to the ground in disgust.

Kreesha of the Morning Bird, one of the more relentless and vicious fang leaders serving in the army, stood up just as Siiri slammed to the ground for the third time. It was clear that the woman had just about had enough of the fight.

"This is a joke. The Snapping Jaws is clearly too stubborn to yield - ever a hard-head since her youth, that one - and yet Eena still does not choose to end the fight. This is becoming an exercise in humiliation and I haven't the stomach to watch such a wasteful game." The muscled warrior oriented herself to the direction of the barracks, turning back just long enough to address her companion. "You coming? There are better things to do than watch children flailing in the dirt."

"I think I will stay and watch the conclusion of this, ah, game," came the reply. Jakai of the Patient shadows had not taken her eyes off the two combatants. Eena stayed just out of reach of the downed Siiri's blade, taunting the injured warrior and working up the rest of the crowd to laugh at the Snapping Jaws' expense. "This is Siiri is an interesting one. She has the eyes of one other than Myri upon her."

"Hngh. As you wish."

As Kreesha left, Jakai stood up and went to the opposite direction, interrupting the fight between Siiri and Eena as she thrust her stout spear between them. Both combatants eyed her with a frown for stepping in.

"What do you want, death-speaker*?" Eena snapped at her, the sharped end of the spear shaft she held moving to push away the intruder's own weapon.

But Jakai refused to budge.

"Don't misunderstand, I won't stop your fight," she assured the two. "I'm just here to return the odds back to how it was when you two first started."

She said nothing more, only righting her spear so that it pointed straight up to the sky before thrusting its length towards Eena. The other woman took it tentatively, discarding her ruined weapon as she tested the new spear's balance. Seemingly satisfied, she returned her gaze to Jakai.

"And what of her?" she asked, directing a sneer at Siiri. "You don't have an arm to spare for my fattening lieutenant."

Siiri, her feet beneath her once more due to the break in the fight, muttered something unflattering under her breath. No one was near enough to catch what it was she had said, though Jakai had started to move towards her. The latter had unslung her round metal shield and offered it to her. Siiri's emerald eyes were full of doubt as she regarded the item.

"What are you trying to do, make me lose?" she asked incredulously.

"No. I just think it would be a shame if you ruined your arm again. That would be a lose-lose situation for the both of you. Now hold your right arm out, I'll strap it on your bicep. Your cast's thickness should prevent it from sliding lower."

Siiri scowled but offered her arm nonetheless. The woman had a point, after all. She watched as Jakai expertly secured it, the straps just tight enough to keep the shield in its position without biting to deeply into her flesh and cutting off her circulation. Still, she felt her arm grow even more heavier from the shield's added weight, and its large size blocked her view of her right side.

The sacrifices done for defense, she thought sourly. Siiri had very little use for such things, preferring an all out attack with her greatsword to keep opponents on the defensive. In the field, her persistent attacks with her massive weapon usually wore down her enemies enough for her to capitalize on mistakes they made as they warded off her strikes, and that was usually enough for her to dispatch them. She never had to think of defense with Slayer in her hands.

But now she was forced to do so, as her injury prevented her from using the greatsword to the best of her abilities. She felt that the shield she wore now limited her even more.

"I'll break you spear like I did Big Mouth's over there, you know," Siiri admitted to Jakai.

"Then I would consider it a price well-paid just to see the two of you settle your differences."

Jakai stepped back and allowed Eena and Siiri to engage again.

* Notes :

death-speaker - An informal Myrian term for one marked by Dira.

[Siiri]

Eena wasted no time in pressing the action on Siiri, lunging forward and thrusting her newly acquired spear on the Snapping Jaws' exposed side as soon as Jakai had backed off from the field. Siiri only had time to switch her stance to cover herself with the shield before the reinforced spearhead connected against it. Her legs were not braced properly against the ground and the impact sent her skidding backwards a few feet away.

"Turtling, are we? I thought you said you'd break -"

The taunt never got finished as Eena was forced to backpedal from a charging Siiri. The latter held her greatsword like an oar - right hand one the pommel while the left held the ricasso - and threw quick but heavy undercuts with the weapon, the blade swinging from near her left foot and arching up to try and bite into her opponent's middle. It was a predictable attack, as left was the only side Siiri could swing her weapon from since she was blinded and cramped on the right side due to the shield's bulk, but she made up for the repetitive volley by putting her full weight in each swing.

Her fang leader was able to block all three attacks, even the follow up overhead chop at the end of the attack sequence. Surprisingly, Jakai's spear held against each blow, though Eena's skill with it was partly responsible too as she caught each of Siiri's swings near the cross guard of the spearhead, where the wooden shaft was reinforced with steel.

Siiri exposed her left side now, holding Slayer close as she righted her grip on the weapon, even as she crowded closer to Eena, intending to eliminate the other woman's reach advantage by stabbing the blade at her. She hoped to bring the fight into close quarters and use her weapon's keen edge by half-swording each of her swings. Doing so would not only put Eena into the defensive but also prevent her from mounting any sort of counterattack with the spear.

But the crafty Eena never allowed her to get to that point. She wielded the spear like a staff once more, ducking under Siiri's first stab and mimicking her attack by swatting at her arm with the spear's thick shaft. Again, it connected against Siiri's biceps, making her lose her grip on Slayer. Worse, Eena, tangled up their weapons with the spear's cross guard. With a forceful yank, she pried the weapon off Siiri's weakened right hand.

"NO! Siiri shouted, involuntarily taking a step towards the blade - the blade that was now in Eena's hands as she discarded Jakai's spear.

The grin on the woman's face was infuriating.

"What now, fat cow?"

[Siiri]

"Put my sword down, Eena," Siiri growled. She was weaponless, though Jakai's sturdy shield remained strapped on her right bicep, while her opponent now held her precious greatsword. Save for her and her bondmate, no other person has handled Slayer since the day it was passed down to her upon the death of her aunt. She had never allowed anyone to touch it. And now here was Eena, that maddening grin of superiority and mockery still stamped upon her face, brandishing the massive blade before her.

"Put it down, now!"

"Not happening, Snapping Jaws! You think an enemy will hand it over to you when you're in a fight for your life and they managed to wrest it away from you?" The fang leader hefted the weapon in one hand and gesture for Siiri to try and take it with the other. "You want it? Come get it!"

"Don't make me petching hurt you..."

Eena smirked in response. She knew she was holding all the cards now. It was common knowledge in the barracks that her lieutenant was near useless without Slayer in her hands.

"I'd like to see you try. Maybe then you'll burn all that fat from your oversized breasts so they won't weigh you down from performing your duties! Two of your mates had to take shots in the gut from the last patrol while you sit here gorging yourself like a fat -"

Siiri did not let her finish. She had pulled two throwing daggers, the metal ones, from the bandoleer running across her chest and hurled them at Eena's face. The other woman was only able to deflect one with the greatsword before she was forced to dodge the second one. Another pair followed, and another, Siiri unloading all the metal throwing daggers she had. A couple came close to grazing Eena, but by keeping herself mobile, the Swooping Talons warriors was able to avoid being injured by the projectiles. Those watching the fight had to scramble out of the way of the daggers as well as soon as Eena dodged or deflected them.

There was a pause in Siiri's barrage and it was Eena's turn to go into the offensive. The Snapping Jaws warrior seemed unarmed once more, with her right shoulder lowered in front of her so she could peek over the rim of the shield. Eena charged at her, Slayer held high in preparation for an overhead attack. Once she had Siiri within range she brought the weapon crashing down. Siiri had to hunch her shoulder up and duck her head behind the shield in order to protect herself from the falling blade.

"How does it feel, Siiri, to have your own weapon turned against you?" Eena taunted as she slammed Slayer once, twice, three times more on the metallic barrier that separated her from victory over her subordinate.

Siiri felt each blow as if it came from a hammer wielded by some vengeful god. Every thundering impact shuddered through her shoulder and down her arm, leaving it feeling numb. But she held stalwart against it, bracing herself against each blow. And each time Eena connected, Siiri took a step forward, crowding nearer her opponent once more and narrowing her reach advantage.

As the last blow shivered her arm, Siiri lunged forward and slammed her shield-covered shoulder against Eena. The move unbalanced her opponent, causing her to throw her hands after the greatsword as the shield jarred it upwards. Siiri's right hand shot after Eena's, gripping the woman's fingers just as the tightened around the weapon's hilt. She held it there, only to reveal her counterattack which the shield had concealed all this time.

Eena's eyes widened as Siiri's left hand stabbed for her midsection, one of the Snapping Jaws' serrated bone daggers held in it.

[Siiri]

The simplest attack were often the most effective, and it was true now as it had been the other times Siiri had used one of her tricks to pull one off. Eena was caught without an effective counter to her dagger and Siiri could see it plain in the woman's eyes. She thought the duel would come to an end once the blade's tip connect, but Eena's quickness surprised her. The Swooping Talons warrior pushed Slayer higher and backwards before leaping back to disengage. The action cost her the greatsword, but Siiri did not have a good enough grip on the weapon either. It slipped from her grasping fingers and fell to the ground with a clang. Her dagger only got to kiss Eena's abdomen as well, leaving a thin trail of red in its wake.

"Close, Siiri. That was very close." Eena's perverse smile was gone, replaced by an ugly scowl that matched her opponent's in its intensity.

"You taught me well. Or have you forgotten?"

"Shut up! Your expertise would have been better used in the field!"

"And yet here we are fighting. Why don't you just admit you've lost?"

"I haven't."

Eena had slipped one foot under the spear she had discarded earlier and she kicked it up now, catching its shaft and lunging with it even before gravity began to pull it back to the ground. Siiri was prepared for it however, blocking the spearhead with her shield-covered shoulder. The impact still left her teeth chattering.

"What the petch is your problem?!"

"You are, Siiri. You're my problem."

Three jabs in quick succession followed Eena's words, one aimed high, the next in the middle and the last aimed low, spearhead searching for Siiri's thigh. She deflected the first with the shield, the second with her dagger, and the last she avoided by leaping high. She hoped to land on the spear's shaft as she landed to break it but Eena pulled back immediately, fully expecting her intentions. Siiri's disdain for spears was her undoing - everyone knew she would take the first chance to shatter such weapons if the opportunity presented itself in combat.

"Fat chance."

"You need to learn to petchin' shut your mouth, Eena!" Siiri snapped. It seemed Eena would keep rubbing her weight gain in her face.

"And you need to learn your place!"

"So that's the issue here then? That's the issue?" Siiri growled. "THAT'S! THE! BLOODY! PETCHING! ISSUE?!!"

Each word was punctuated with a stab or a slash as Siiri initiated her own attack, using the shield to protect her body from any of Eena's return strikes as she pressed forward. Eena was one step ahead of her, dodging out of the way just in time to escape Siiri's dagger. The shorter weapon was starting to frustrate her, as her opponent was able to keep her at bay using the longer reach of the spear as well. She flung the blade at Eena in annoyance, using that chance to unhook the heavy mace from her belt as Eena swatted her dagger from the air.

"Does she ever run out of weapons?" a voice from the watching crowd drifted towards them.

[Siiri]

"You're going to use that oversized drumstick on me? Do you even know how to use that?" Eena scoffed. She was well aware of her lieutenant's preference, and thus, in her eyes, limitation, in using her trademark greatsword.

"Sure," came Siiri's flippant reply. "Heavy end smashes your face in to make you shut the petch up."

And then she was on the offensive once more, parrying or ducking under the spearhead that Eena incessantly jabbed her way in an effort to keep her at bay. Ever stubborn, Siiri charged forward, never taking a step back and using the shield strapped to her upper arm to protect her head and body from those of Eena's attacks that she could not avoid or turn away with the mace. Those instances happened more often than not, as Siiri wielded the weapon in her off-hand, leaving her swinging just a fraction of a second slower than if she was using her main hand, and the limited mobility of the shield meant that she had to rely on it a great deal to avoid any serious injury.

Siiri closed the distance, Eena now near enough to her that she could easily distinguish each frown line on the other woman's brow. She lashed out with the mace, swinging its flanged metal head at her opponent's arm. Unlike her, Eena had nothing to protect herself against the heavy weapon, and just one crushing blow would surely put her out of the fight, if not out of commission for a few weeks at least. Siiri felt the resistance halt her swing and she thought that she had somehow connected. It was a steep price to pay, to injure a fellow Myrian so, but at the moment she was too pissed to care about the repercussions of her action.

"Try again, Snapping Jaws," she heard Eena taunt her and Siiri lowered her shoulder just enough to peer at the woman. The crafty veteran had switched to using the spear like a staff once more and had blocked her mace just below its flanged head - a calculated move as far as Siiri could tell, for had Eena not done so, the teethed edges of the flanges would have chipped or even outright blown through the wooden shaft.

And that's the idea whole idea here, Siiri decided, growing tired of hearing Eena's endless ribbing. It didn't matter if the spear belonged to someone else, she was going to break it.

Another heavy swing followed the first, which was immediately reversed into an upswing when it hit nothing but air. They were simple attacks, textbook techniques as far as Siiri was concerned, for she never got into any in-depth training with the weapon before her unfortunate injury. Each one was powered by a muscled arm that was adapted to swinging a heavier weapon. Siiri's barrage was relentless, the Snapping Jaws warrior pressing forward in rhythm with each of Eena's retreating steps. She was determined to prevent her opponent from placing a large enough space between them to bring her spearhead back into play again. Siiri was determined to end the fight now, and not as the loser either. Not after all the insults and aggravation. Commanding officer or not, Eena was going down.

A shoulder butt from Siiri's shield-covered side sent Eena off-balanced once again. And this time, rather than pulling back and resuming her attack with the mace, Siiri allowed her momentum to continue, shoving the other woman farther than her backpedaling legs could catch up. There was a muffled thud, signaling that Eena had at last fallen on her back for the first time in the fight. Scattered cheers from those in the crowd that had been rooting for Siiri, and jeers from those who had likely bet against her and her underdog status.

Usually, it would have meant the end of the fight as Eena would have no effective counter with Siiri standing so close to her, but Siiri was not done yet. Up went the mace, the whole of its metallic length catching the rays of the sun just before the muscles in Siiri's arm corded and contracted and brought the weapon crashing down on Eena's unprotected face. The downed warrior could do nothing but bring the spear shaft up before her and pray that it was strong enough withstand the force from such a powerful blow.

It wasn't.

Jakai's spear finally snapped from the impact. Eena's eyes were squeezed shut, her face scrunched up and turned to the side in anticipation of Siiri's mace caving her head in. The weapon did not connect however. When she turned to look, it was hovering about an inch from her nose, held by her enraged opponent. Siiri's chest was heaving from the exertion of keeping her temper in check.

"Yield!" she screamed at Eena.

[Siiri]

Eena dropped the two broken pieces of the spear to the ground, her face a mask of defeat, docile now with the threat of Siiri's mace hovering before her. The woman closed her eyes and sagged to the ground, and Siiri, taking that to signify the end of their little scuffle, pulled her weapon away grudgingly, her movements mechanical, as if she still wanted to beat her superior officer up. But rules were rules, and the rules of the Training Grounds was that any two individuals could take out their frustrations on each other as long as they did so without inflicting too grievous an injury on the other. The army cannot field a downed soldier after all. And so Siiri drew back, preparing to clip her mace back to her belt and walk away and leave Eena to stew in her frustrations.

She did not expect the leg sweep that was timed just as she was turning away. Eena had tripped her, the cheapshot!

The surprise attack tangled up Siiri's legs and she could not stop or even catch herself as she fell to the ground. She landed on her chest with a loud "Oof!", the impact blasting the air from her lungs and caused the dirt ground to billow up dust in her face. Her sharp intake of breath left her coughing and spitting as the dust coated her throat.

When she was finally able to stand up, she found Eena before her with her fists up, the angry fire in her eyes back in full force.

"We're not done here, Snapping Jaws!" the raven-haired woman growled.

Siiri thought it ridiculous that Eena would fight her mano a mano. Even with one of her arms injured, the Swooping Talons warrior would be no match against her. Siiri just had too many unarmed fights under her belt, both in practice and actual combat. Eena herself concentrated in training her for it when she first took Siiri under her wing, and she had never sparred against her protege, acknowledging Siiri's superiority in the martial arts. Better fighters from other fangs had always been brought in as sparring partners for her.

What kind of idiocy is she up to this time? Siiri wondered. She did not bother to ask however, discarding both the mace and Jakai's shield to the side as soon as she had loosened up the straps that bound it to her arm, before matching Eena's own pose.

"Come and throw down, bitch," the woman challenged her.

Eena must really want to sweat out everything that was pissing her off, even if that meant getting her ass handed to her by Siiri.

[Siiri]

"Don't make me hurt you, Eena," Siiri said, or started to. She did not get to finish as Eena was already in her face, throwing wild haymakers in an attempt to knock her out. Siiri easily dodged the blows, her feet moving automatically to keep away from Eena's flailing fists. It wasn't her skill with the mace that left the other Myrian vulnerable and exposed on her back earlier, after all - it was her superior footwork that denied her opponent any chance of mounting any sort of counterattack. The gap between their respective skills were only made more apparent now that they fighting hand to hand. Eena's rudimentary boxing were clearly no match against Siiri's knowledge and experience in unarmed combat.

A swift kick on the inside of Eena's leg just as she was stepping in for another punch almost sent the Swooping Talons warrior down to her knees. But she caught herself, though she was left momentarily unbalanced by the blow. Siiri took that opportunity to wade in and deliver an openhanded palm strike against her superior's face. The base of her palm hit Eena square on the nose and the woman staggered back, eyes watering. Siiri did not press her advantage however, keeping where she stood and allowing Eena to recover.

The two eyed each other, Eena's expression wary now while Siiri seemed almost...bored. Both knew how this fight would turn out.

That did not stop Eena from charging back in again.