[Undeniable Interests] Dust and Dander Repel Danger (Harper)

[Xalet]

She wasn't retreating. That was the first thing he realized when he started closing in from the side. It seemed so elementary for her to continue to create distance. Was she scared? Did she freeze? Such a thing was typical to those not used to physical combat, and even Xalet, for all his size, had felt it before when coming before an opponent superior in all aspects to himself.

The sword would be too much for her, he decided. As his large feet, covered in their sollerets came toward the slender female he raised his shield, looking to give her a good wallop and show her what training in simple martial skills could do, even against a mage. Just as he raised his shield she moved at the last moment, so she wasn't frozen! Still, from this range Xalet knew he could simply step in with his unarmed combat and quickly put her on her back. That was until she touched him.

His body went into a spasm from the foreign contact. His back locked up as did his sword and shield arm. He found his neck craning backward, causing him to look up at the forest canopy above. "Am I...down? Am I on the ground? No..." he recognized his position to still be standing, locked in place by having Djed taken from his body. His Djed was fairly unrefined, having no magical capacity himself, but it was still fierce and present given his Akalak heritage. That wasn't all that was present.

"I told him he should have...let me handle this." Xalet remarked, though in a voice more coarse than he typically spoke with. As large as Xalet was his tone was always soft and quite polite. When he did show outward emotion it was with a slight increase or decrease in his volume, but this was different. His voice was almost like complete disappointment.

"Rrrggg...always holding back...holding me back!" he shouted and then began laughing, almost as if he was happy to be receiving the stunning pain of having his Djed slowly taken away. "Ahahaha! Hhaaaa..." his voice slowly slightly as his head cocked downward, his vision back onto Harper. His tongue moved about to lick his lips. "Hold on tight." he remarked playfully, betraying his motion of bringing his neck back and then sweeping it and the top of his downward to quite literally headbutt Harper. It was a technique within Syliran unarmed combat, but typically reserved during a grapple. He was quick to follow it up with an attempted raised knee strike to the mid-section.

[Harper]

Harper smiled. Got 'em in my grip, She thought maliciously. She felt the blood from her busted lip flow into her mouth, tasting the metallic liquid. It was hot, she was sweating, and she knew she needed to use up all of the Djed she gathered from Xalet as fast as she could before she became hindered by it. This was the perfect showdown: a male Knight, using physical forms of combat, against a female mage, using only the arcane. It was the showdown of polar opposites, and Harper intended to win. Harper's smile diluted when she heard him speak. He shouldn't be able to speak through this .. She thought to herself nervously. Was he so strong-willed that he withstand the pain of being Leeched? It was unusual to see someone standing, let alone speaking! Something was wrong here, and Harper couldn't quite put her finger on it. Xalet was speaking in an unusual way, one that he did not usually speak in. He seemed .. rough; frightening, even. But Harper kept her magical grip on him, determined to get as much Djed as she could. The Akalak's wording confused her; Harper wasn't sure who "he" and "me" was in this situation. It's like there's two people in there-- Harper lost all coherent thought when Xalet headbutted her in the face. She felt her world spinning, and she stumbled around, releasing her grip on him. She didn't quite understand what had just happened, her brain still trying to comprehend the situation. Harper didn't expect Xalet to be so violent, he seemed like such a gentle being. She expected to be pushed or thrown around a bit, but headbutting? Her nose was now bleeding, and she was having trouble breathing threw it. And matters were only made worse when he kneed her in the chest, knocking the breath out of her. Harper tumbled to the ground, gripping her chest, trying to gain back her breath. She slowly looked up to the Akalak with a face of pure rage. She was angry now, and she wasn't going to hold back. "You petching..." She mumbled as she concentrated on an area in the air, creating a suspended portal. No, she wouldn't throw him into the Void, but she would definitely be much rougher than she was before. She was going to draw blood this time. The portal opened quicker than the one before, for Harper was using the Djed she had leechd from Xalet, and fusing it with her own. When the portal was finally opened, she created a Pull, focusing only on Xalet. With all of her might, she forced the Pull to push him all the way back, causing him to hit a tree with a large force. The tree shook and the mammoth-man hit it, causing browning leave to fall down to the forest floor. She then forced the man down straight into the ground, crushing him with all the force she could. It wasn't enough to crush him completely, but possibly enough to break a bone or two, and certainly enough to hold him in place. Feeling weary, Harper slowly stood up, panting heavily. "You .. you petcher. What in the gods' names is wrong with you?!" Harper kept her concentration on him, hoping she wouldn't overgive soon. She could already feel the poison from the alien Djed taking its effect. She felt even weaker than before, and she was fighting back the urge to vomit. She prayed to whomever would listen that he would snap out of his rage, because if he didn't, it was possible that Harper would be killed by this man.

[Xalet]

Xalet cracked his neck back and forth a few times once the hold upon his body was broken. He spun his blunted gladius around in the palm of his hand, as if getting used to the feel of it again. The sensations came very quickly though, almost as if he was just familiarizing himself with it's texture rather than learning how to utilize the weapon once more. "You look confused. Heh heh heh..." Xalet sneered. Was this Xalet? Perhaps it was better to call him, "...Xuphim sounds much better than 'petching'. That is my name after all. I am the balancing factor in Xalet's life, that poor sod. Now you'll understand why people stay away from our kind. We two souls share this single body."

Xuphim took back his weapon, raising it upward as if to deliver a blow to the downed Harper that was until he was thrown backward several meters. The large man was lucky his plate armor was there to absorb most of the blow. The impact was still enough to force him to collapse down to his knees, and then driven to the ground with the force of a portals repulsion.

"Wrong...with me? Every magic user is inherently in love with the pain and danger magic brings, you should...be enjoying this." said Xuphim as he tossed his gladius with the slightest movement in his wrist just to the front of him. Interestingly it clamored to the ground like normal. Interesting, so the push or pull of a portal could be focused on something so specific. Placing his hands onto the ground beneath him he began to press upward, a few droplets of blood falling from his mouth onto the leaves below.

Been working those muscles hard, have you Xalet? Xuphim couldn't help but think such things as he began to push down against the ground, large indention made where his gauntlets met the dirt. Akalak's were well known for their physical strength, being as naturally fit and large as they were. Xalet went beyond this by routinely training himself in body building, making himself even stronger than the typical Akalak. This could be seen as he started to push his chest up from the ground, physically fighting against the push of the portal with his muscular strength. Sweat moved down his forehead before collecting at the tip of his nose and dripping downward.

[Harper]

"Aha," Harper semi-laughed aloud, wiping some of the blood on her face off with her sleeve. "I see now, you're his Other Half." Harper knew how bad this was. The Akalak's darker half had gotten out. How could Xalet have let this happen? Harper was frustrated with him for letting this animal out of its cage, but she couldn't think of that now. She had to figure out how to either get away from him, knock him out, or get Xalet back in control. The first option seemed most logical, running away to the Knights and having them contain the mammoth-man, but Harper knew that what was happening was just as bad for Xalet as it was for her, so she decided against it. The second option was too harsh. If Harper really tried, she could maybe defeat him by knocking him out or even killing him, but she didn't want to hurt, or kill him, and that provided a greater opportunity for her to overgive... Which she really did not want. So the third option is the one that she went for. But how in the world would she get Xalet back? She really did not have much knowledge of the Akalak; she didn't understand their other halves, where they came from .. She knew almost nothing at all. But she had to try somehow. "Listen," She began speaking while attempting to keep her hold on Xuphim; it was growing increasingly hard with him fighting to get back up. The man was obviously very, very strong, and Harper's magic wasn't holding up against him very well. "You obviously don't know too much about magic users. Yes, I do love a little danger, and a little pain in the correct moment might be fun, but I'm no masochist." Harper paused for a moment. A wave of weariness came over her, causing her vision to blur and causing her to stumble down onto the ground again. She released her connection with her Djed, not on purpose, but from lack of concentration. While on the ground, she began to panic. "Xalet, I KNOW you're in there!" She screamed, trying to back away as far as she could from instinct. "I know you can fight him! Remember what you stand for: the good and protection of Syliras and its people! You're good, Xalet; fight him!" OOCSo Harper is all scared and delirious now from overgiving/poisoning from her Leeching, so she can't really fight anymore.

[Xalet]

"Xalet will you stop resisting me! You're making everything worse! We could be so much more. We could be the strongest. We could be the best. Nothing has to hold us back like it does these Humans. Let me do this!" the entity struggled as Xalet fought his way back to the surface. Regardless of stress or pain, Xalet could only allow so much embarrassment considering Xuphim's crass behavior. Harper did a good job at reminding him that his representation was most important, not some over-whelming urge to crush his opposition.

He did have to crush something now, however, and that was Xuphim's control over his body. As the muscles in his body tightened against the force coming down upon him, an overwhelming exhaustion began to spread, that was the perfect time to start regaining hold as the dominant personality. With all of his force keeping Xuphim on the bottom, the darker half had atrophied, but when it was allowed some reign it took it without any sort of moderation.

"That's not what I want, Xuphim. Strength will come with time and hard work, not through rage. I am a Knight, you'd do best to remember this. You think of it as restrictions, but they're just ethics to live by! Ethics I swore to live by. Get...back...down there..."

"Xalet, you're such an idiot. You'll come to me when you need me again." Xuphim's consciousness spat back at Xalet's preachings, finally giving hold back to him. This cased Xalet to mind the pain in his body and simply allow it to flop back onto the forest floor. "Augh. Harper?" Xalet said, managing to get his body onto his back, "You still there? I wasn't expecting...whatever it was happened when you touched me. The shock...it was just a momentary lapse." he tried to explain himself, although he wasn't so sure the woman would ever want to deal with him again, not after that experience. "I keep that...hidden away constantly, it's very humiliating when it comes out. I'm sorry."

[Harper]

Harper let out an exhausted gasp, and sat hunched over on the ground panting. This was not her day. She looked back up at Xalet, unsure if it was really him or not. She decided it would be best to trust it was him, seeing as she had no more energy left in her to fight. "By the gods, I thought you were going to kill me," She said weakly, letting out a small laugh. "I'm sorry I took you by surprise like that; it's called Leeching, another form of magic, and I use it only in dire situations. But I wanted to show you how strong I was," She said with an apologetic expression. Then she added, "Or how strong I thought I was..." Harper started to stand up, feeling her knees weak underneath her and her body shaking. She stumbled to a nearby tree, using it to balance herself. She wasn't used to combat, and she now realized how dangerous it can be. This started out as a simple sparring match, but it soon turned into a brawl to the death. Was all of the world this hostile? It made Harper doubt herself, and her skills. Something like this could happen at any time, She thought to herself reluctantly. I need to get stronger if I expect to survive. "So ... I suppose I should thank you for gaining back control before your .. other half took off my head," Harper chimed as the looked over at the large man. "Seems I'm not nearly as tough as I thought I was!" OOCSO sorry for taking so much time to reply. School has had me super busy.

[Xalet]

Xalet coughed a few times, some globes of spittle sailing off to the side as he turned his head. Once his throat was sufficiently cleared he rolled onto his side and braced his arms against the ground to put himself up into a kneeling posture. [He could feel the ache in his body. The ache from being manipulated by the Void as well as from being leeched. He had felt many different types of pain before during training, but having his Djed manipulated against his will was a sensation all together different than anything he imagined.

"I see." Xalet responded as one of his feet came up to rest upon the ground, now resting upon one knee as his forearm pressed against the top of his thigh. "They are very potent arts. You've given me exactly the information I was looking for, and I appreciate that." Though he stumbled slightly, Xalet managed to pull himself up to his feet, feeling a bit of a pain inside of his abdomen. There was a throb there that seemed to heighten whenever he breathed, nothing too terrible though, he couldn't let a little something like that slow him down, not if he wanted to be a Knight.

"You are strong, magic deserves its reputation to be feared. You must take care of your own body as well. Do not allow it to fall apart." It was all he could think to say. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like magic was more than a match for any sword. It seemed like no shield could defend properly against it, but similarly, Harper had shown him that there was a potential for circumventing magic, if only he could learn to sense another being's intent. He had heard of such instincts coming to the great masters of combat, perhaps with enough time and effort he could develop such keen intuition.

Walking over to Harper his tall from stood above her as he bent down, offering his hand to help her to her feet, "I wouldn't have allowed that to happen. That side of me...I've repressed it well against anger, pain, and exhaustion. It was the experience of this Leeching, I'd never felt it before so...I lost my grip. I can't apologize enough. It is the way my people have always lived, but that is no excuse, I would consider myself a squire that abides by the code nonetheless. For this, I would ask if there is anything I can do to repay you. I don't have much but i could perhaps purchase a meal for you, or pay for any aid for your injuries." Xalet was struggling now, struggling to find a suitable offer for the woman that he had injured. The embarrassment of his animalistic side sat so uneasily with him, he wished nothing more than to simply forget all about it.

OOCNo problem, welcome back!

[Harper]

Harper accepted the Squires help to steady herself and spoke, "It really is I who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have Leeched you without warning first. I often do things without thinking first. I should really work on my self discipline." Harper truly felt bad about what she had done. One, she should never have done that to someone who she considered a friend; she didn't have too many to spare, so she should try to keep them around. And secondly, because she leeched him, she triggered an unseen force to emerge and almost kill her. It was a scary thought, knowing there was someone else sharing Xalet's body with him. What a burden it would be... "Thank you, but I'm truly not as strong as some other wizards I've known." Sure, Harper was okay at her arts, but nothing compared to the master wizards that roamed Mizahar. She longed to be stronger, to grow to be one of the Greats. But she knew that the odds of that happening were slim, so she let the thought go. "My body is often at risk when it comes to Leeching, and that is why I don't do it too often. It's the price I pay, and I'm okay with that." Harper let out a wheezy cough. She was exhausted. More exhausted than she'd be in a long time. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep for several seasons. "You needn't pay me anything; I'm as much responsible for today's events as you are. I agreed to spar, and I accept all the wounds that came with it," Harper said lightly, smiling up at Xalet. "Plus, a little violence is fun at times. It's been a long while since anything interesting has happened to me."

[Xalet]

Harper was a strange Human. Xalet couldn't help but wonder exactly what type of upbringing had brought her to live this way. It seemed dangerous, though he couldn't help but relate to her struggle to further her knowledge of the arts as well as her strength in wielding it. It was, after all, exactly as he trained himself. "Then we shall be even." he decided. His mother had told him that when two parties tried to apologize to one another, they should instead stave away any sad or resentful feelings and call it 'even'. He was starting to understand the nature of this concept now. He had gained valuable knowledge from this encounter, and that itself was more important than any amount of push-ups or any distance he could force from his body. The best way to prepare for magic was to experience it. Regardless of countermeasures, if he hadn't felt what it was like to be Leeched, he was certain he would have locked up in a combat situation and most probably been killed or worse.

"The body reacts to any abuse it endures. Thus is the cost of all things. 'To gain something, you must give something up', those are the words of my Patron, whom has lived my lifetime many times over. Just take care that you don't give up too much." he cautioned. Nothing could ever make him fully understand or accept magic. It was dangerous, and that was that. It's use caused the injury and destruction of many a mind and body, and history was rife with attempts for mortals to understand it completely, only to be driven mad by it's complexities. To gain something that great, it seemed the price was more than most could bear.

"But, there are ways to resist and further endure abuse, through proper training and diet. I would take care not to cross the line and lose yourself. I won't say more." those words of his, the advise of a squire ended at that. He didn't wish to lecture anyone about how to live their life, but he couldn't in good conscious just allow someone to break their body down without at least having some defense against the degradation. Running, weight training, proper eating, hydration. The lessons his Patron had taught him were simple, but they worked. He was stronger, he was more enduring, he had a higher level of conditioning, and although he had no particular mastery of his weapons yet, that made him a worthy opponent compared to those of similar skill.

OOCLet me know if you want to continue at all, or if you want to submit this for grading and start on a new thread or what have you. It's been an interesting ride thus far!

[Harper]

"Aye, wise words, those are," Harper replied gruffly, her voice still a tad sore from her screaming earlier. She found Xalet quite interesting. It was refreshing for her to meet someone with such strict moral codes and such a sense of honor. Harper was somewhat jealous of him; he was a Knight in training. His life was all about protecting his home. What did Harper have? Nothing. Endless travels and the lust for power. But what was really the meaning behind that? Nothing. Her life seemed so empty of meaning. Choking back her feelings from her voice, she said: "So Xalet, tell me about your Patron. What is he--or she--like? I really know nothing about the Syliran Knights." She looked at him with a positive, genuinely curious face and walked over the another tree and leaned her back against it. "Also, how does one go about becoming a Knight?"