Closed [The Anthonius Fighter's Pit] Show Me a Challenge (Sagitta)

[Kaie]

Timestamp: 19th Bell. 35th Day of Summer, 513 AV



"Gods damn that petching savage!"

Kaie turned around with a victorious grin, not even bothering to hide her satisfaction in the barbarian's failure. The man scowled at her from where he laid in the dirt. His brow was pulled tight together and expression shouting his clear loathing for her. She couldn't blame him. The pit was pretty crowded today, and she just tossed him like a doll into the dirt in front of all his friends. With his long blonde hair all in his face, covered in filth, he looked like a bloody mess. Oops.

A burly man, who had been watching from the nearby wall, uncrossed his thick arms to stomp toward her. He was a large guy. Fit and covered in thick muscle. Curly black hair hung just above his eyes like a neglected mop. His face was dark and imprinted with a permanent scowl. He radiated the same sort of hate for her that her opponent had. His steps were heavy as he eyed her, shrugging off his loose vest.

"I think it's about time someone taught you a lesson, you little heathen," He growled at her, eyes dark and muscles flexing. The man in the dirt scampered to his feet with a devilish grin. No doubt he was glad to see another more competent fighter step in his place. Kaie simply raised a brow at the guy, grin creeping further up her face. She turned to face him head on. In the fading light of dusk, her eyes caught the vibrant light of the sun. Amber hues lit up like wildfire, scorching her enemy's skin with a venomous stare. The Myrian woman simply shrugged her shoulders, letting her brown waves fall behind her. She didn't fear this human. He was just another brute with a head far bigger than the pit had room for. It would be satisfying to watch his ego shatter in the name of Myri.


"Fair enough, barbarian. Your move," Kaie hissed, squaring up to her new combatant readily. Her feet were shoulder width apart and back straight. She lifted her clenched fists to protect her face, elbows close to her sides to guard her ribs. The man did the same. He was like a solid stone and just as rigid as one. This one might be a bit of a challenge...

The brute swung his fist straight for her face. Obvious. Juvenile even. Kaie just redirected his punch across her body and drove her own right into his nose. A sickening crack erupted from her hit and blood began to ooze down his face. Naturally, the savage didn't give him a moment to even assess his new damage. As soon as her hit landed, Kaie gripped his head with both hands and brought him straight down into her knee. Following her brutal assault on his face, she brought her elbow down upon the back of his neck. The man let out a groan and made a last swipe at her stomach. His hit landed before her torture could continue and she was forced to back off with a growl.

He shook his head twice and steadied himself with the cheers of a few watching. Anger flooded his eyes and he rushed at her. She was ready. His fist was drawn back, prepared to send a quick strike right at her. That's when she lifted her foot and drove it straight into his chest. With a look of shock, he stumbled back straight into the wall he once leaned upon. Kaie walked over to where he slumped, taking her time. She looked down at him and finished him with a punch to the side of his jaw. Knock out.

"Anyone else?" The Myrian growled irritably, turning to face the rest of the crowd. She had come for a challenge and she didn't want to leave empty handed. The closest thing to a good fight was the last fighter. It was pathetic. She'd battled much worse in battles outside the city. With her team led by Razkar with a ghost and Kelvic at her side, they had killed. Since then she'd been thirsty for good combat. For opponents that caused her to almost fear she might lose. When none of the fuming barbarians stepped up, she turned from them with disgust. She headed back toward the water trough to wash the man's blood off her hands, shaking her head. Disappointment flooded her. Gods, these idiots are dull. Is there no one remotely interesting here?

[Sagitta]

For some unknown reason, Sagitta had found herself in the Fighter's Pit. She was dressed lightly, not an armor in sight, looking terribly out of place. Her silvery eyes watched everything with curiosity and a little wonder. One might've guessed that she had never been in a real fight in her life. It wasn't true, of course. She had been in fights, she simply never actually fought. Yet, her arm was bound with bandage, concealing a bad wound.

Fit-looking men and women hacked at each other with dulled blade. The crowded place was packed with sweating, bruising bodies and for now she didn't mind standing on the sidelines. Metal against metal clanged loudly, weaved by grunts and curses, like a chaotic chorus.

The girl mostly watched the fights, unable to join herself. Unless she wanted to get beaten up that is. But she needed to do something! Ever since her encounter with the monstrous creature, Sagitta had found that she was disturbingly helpless. Her quick reflexes had saved her life a couple of times, but it was not enough. Evading could not be her only tactic.

One woman with dark hair seemed to be handling the fights particularly well, sending men twice her size to the ground. It was impressive. Sagitta wondered how long it would take for her to reach that level. A lifetime perhaps. Better start soon then. Maybe the woman could teach her a thing or two.

She strode across the pit, taking care to avoid who were fighting. Unfortunately, she didn't see the man who had just been defeated was trying to get to his feet, still thrown off balance.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to-" Her apology went unheard. The man was too furious that he had been beaten by a woman and now another had the nerve to slam into him. Unthinkingly, he grabbed a fallen blade and swung. Thankfully, his movements were not fast. Sagitta was able to catch the tension in his muscles before he had moved. She ducked, the sword flying harmlessly above her.

Sagitta backed away, hoping to slip away from the hard gaze of the fighter. Yet, people had form a loose ring around them, shoving her back inside when she tried to escape. She barely dodge the waiting sword.

The huge man practically snarled. He wasn't serious, right? He could not be actually considering to beat her up.

Distracted, she searched for some way out. The Ethaefal didn't expect the brute to charge her all of the sudden. She tried to dodge, but the man's shoulder still slammed against her body, sending her sprawling on the ground. All around her people yelled, goading the man to finish her. Much to everyone surprise, Sagitta leapt lightly back to her feet. Anyone would be able to notice the worry in her eyes, that she did not care to fight at all. "Please, I don't-" Again she was cut off. He spat at her and closed in.

The man was far too angered to fight properly, but at some point, she would make her mistake and her unhealed wound will find company.

[Kaie]

Fuming with disappointment and frustration at the seemingly waste of time, Kaie was almost deaf to rise of voices behind her. Almost. The Myrian woman stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly she moved her head until what laid behind her was just in her peripheral vision. Her expression was quizzical, one brow arched and half expecting to be ambushed unfairly from behind. What she did see instead looked mediocre at best. Just another tasteless fight in the unusually dull pit that day. At least that's what it looked like.

Curiosity caused her to turn on her heels and change her course entirely. As she approached the forming circle, she caught glimpses of the fighters. The greasy barbarian man she put down before and...A girl? Kaie stood at the back of the crowd, peeking over heads and between bodies to see what the nature of the battle was. Deciding the battle may be worth seeing, she joined the others in audience. It was that point she saw the retreating blonde woman get shoved back toward the center.

No one needed to be too observant to see the nervousness and perhaps even fear on the woman's face. It was rather obvious she had gotten into a position she did not intend to find herself in. Then there was her clothes. She wore nothing that lead Kaie to believe she was a skilled fighter. Though Kaie neglected the barbarian way of dressing for her own reasons, the girl hadn't an ounce of padding or armor on her. She hadn't even a proper fighting stance. Did she even know how to make a fist?

What in the hell is she doing here?

As expected, the brute came at her like a wrecking ball and the poor girl hadn't gotten out of the way in time. The way she hit the dirt made even Kaie want to cringe for her. At least she had the guts to get back to her feet. Her opposite was furious. Practically simmering in his own rage. It was clear from the start that he'd turn down any attempts the girl made at pacifism. He was a guy with a broken ego and wounded dignity. Kaie didn't expect reasoning with him would go so well. Quickly she found out she was exactly right, and he was moving in to resume the cruelty. Why would he continue to fight someone who didn't even want to? Where was the glory or title in that? The Myrian woman decided she'd seen enough.

"She doesn't want to fight. Leave her be," Kaie said warningly, stepping forward to approach him at the side before he reached the concerned blonde barbarian.

He whipped his head to face her with his beady eyed glare. Anger wracked his body in a vengeful shiver of tensing muscle at her appearance. On the contrary, she was relaxed and her tone was steady. Almost neutral. Her burning eyes searched his body and his face, gauging his reaction. Prepared for a sudden strike.

"This is my fight, Myrian! Get the hell out of my petching way!" He growled back, defending his right to battle and accusing her respect of it by intervening. Any other day she might've agreed with the Vagik. Not this day. Not against an opponent who can't or doesn't know how to defend them self.

"This battle has no gain for you. You're right though. You do have the right to finish your fights. So I'll just join in her place," She replied while already easing into a fight position. Eyes watched him expectantly, waiting for his answer whether it be physical or verbal.

"Another day, Savage," The man spat after much internal debate and hesitation with hateful eyes. A few groans of annoyance and approval came from the small gathering, and soon enough the ring disbanded. Kaie relaxed then to drop her guard. Back to a casual position. She then turned to the young woman and tilted her head some. Face riddled with confusion and questioning. Her words on the other hand were rather simple and straight forward. As usual.

"You don't come around here often do you?,"

[Sagitta]

Completely cornered, Sagitta paled and wondered how the hell she would able to get out of here unharmed. Half of her mind seemed to be frozen, trapped in a blurry memory she couldn't exactly remember. It involved bruises and a lot of pain for her part. The Ethaefal flinched even before had made his move. She needed to get out, get away as far as it was possible. Coming here was a bad idea. She was no fighter. Running works just fine for her. Standing her ground was definitely not her style.

Just when the girl was about to make another break for it, the woman she had seen earlier pushed through the crowd. She took her place between the Ethaefal and her attacker. Silently, the girl thanked the woman for saving her from the furious looking man. There were some harsh exchanges as the two looked at each other, both tense for a fight. If a fight did occur, Sagitta would use it as her means to escape. Amazingly, the man decided to back away, glaring at them the whole time. Something told her that he wasn't about to disappear that easy. Still, it was not her problem for now.

The woman finally turned back to her. "You don't come around here often do you?"

Sagitta shrugged, running her fingers through her hair in a habitual gesture. "Fortunately no. This is my first time actually. I had wanted to learn a thing or two." She remembered someone telling her a long time ago - probably during her pat live - that she should know how to fight. That her line of work would involve a lot of violence. She had never really thought about it before. "And thank you for getting me out of trouble. I'm Sagitta." That were probably the longest sentences she had uttered here in Syliras. The Ethaefal had mostly kept to herself during the day, wandering the street only to sleep between corners and alleys and at night she preferred to be indoors, finding that her surreal form sometimes brought too much attention to herself. Though at times, it did gave her some distinct advantages.

OOCSorry for the wait, Kaie

[Kaie]

Kaie simply shrugged at the thank you. A "no big deal" sort of gesture. She was used to dealing with wannabe thugs all the time. More often than not, they were much softer than they looked. Then again, there were the few times that preconception backfired brutally on her. Luckily today wasn't one of those times.

"I am Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows. You know, you should really watch where you're going," She replied with an amused grin, shaking her head slowly at the newcomer. Of course Kaie knew what it was like to be a foreigner, not really knowing the way of things. There was of course the question of how foreign this Sagitta was. Foreign to the ring or foreign to Syliras entirely?

Her purpose had been served and the girl was no longer of her concern. Really she shouldn't have ever been in the first place. Just as she was about to turn from the woman and go on her way, she remembered something Sagitta had said. Something that should've caught her attention but initially blew right over her head.

"This is my first time actually. I had wanted to learn a thing or two."

Did this woman actually mean she knew...Nothing of combat at all? Kaie appraised her with her eyes, raising a brow curiously. It all made absolute sense then. The reason she had tried so hard not to fight the man wasn't necessarily out of cowardice but of lack of skill. Had the woman felt she never had a fighting chance or was she simply not the fighting type? The Myrian blinked twice as if in disbelief before finally addressing her own questions.

"Do you even know how to fight?"

OOC:Don't worry! My summer has been crazy too so I understand.

[Sagitta]

"I am Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows. You know, you should really watch where you're going," the seemingly older woman said. Sagitta could not help agreeing. Who knew bumping into the wrong person could almost get her beat up? Her mind wondered if the man had actually hit her, what would've happened? Will she end up unconscious and bloody on the dirty ground? She couldn't win, that's for sure.

"Cutthroat Shadows? That's a peculiar name." The words slipped out of her lips freely and Sagitta cursed herself internally. What was she doing? Trying to offend the very person who had actually helped her out?

"Do you even know how to fight?"

The Ethaefal cleared her throat, still slightly uncomfortable with all the fighting that had resumed around them. She had taken extra care to stay away, not excited to be tossed into a brawl. "I . . . I don't fight. Not really. There has never been the need to. I always outrun people who are out to get me." It was not entirely true. She had failed to outrun her enemy when it mattered the most and the end she ended up dead. The thought nearly made her flinch physically. Her mouth sagged into a small frown as she recalled the knife that had plunged into her chest a long time ago. If Sagitta - no, Arivia - knew how to fight then, she would've probably lived a lot longer. "I'm an acrobat, a freerunner. Fighting is not quite my area of expertise."

Pressing her lips together, Sagitta looked straight at the dark-haired woman, her silvery eyes alight. "Will you teach me? I mean, if you have the moment to spare."

[Kaie]

Kaie quirked a brow at her at her comment about her name. It was an innocent one showing her entertainment in the words rather than anger. She didn't give introductions too often in the city, but when she did a similar reaction was granted. After all she was a foreigner and a Myrian no less. Had any barbarians been welcomed into Taloba, she likely would've done something similar.

Kaie should've expected the woman had no idea on how to fight. It seemed being holed up in a city so devoted to peace, it was never a necessary skill. To her culture such ignorance would be declared blasphemous. In her world combat was necessary. One needed to defend themselves and just as skillfully take the offensive. The battlefield was sacred ground in which blood offerings were made in reverence for the Goddess Queen Myri. Violence was a way of life. She could never even consider running as her first option. Though what skills the tiny woman did possess surprised her. Even Kaie knew that acrobatics and free-running often had a place of their own. But where would she begin?

"Considering how you reacted back there, I think I'm obligated to. What would you like to know?"

[Sagitta]

Sagitta shifted on the balls of her feet, looking somewhat restless. She had expected the other woman to tell who get the hell out of the fighting ring unless she wanted to get killed. And the Ethaefal might just follow that advice happily. But now that Kaie had agreed to teach her, she was not sure what she could learn really. Something to make sure she wouldn't be beat up to badly if a fight did broke out? Or maybe something to stun her opponent to give her more time to get away? Really, any knowledge will probably be helpful.

After considering for a few moments, Sagitta finally said, "Something defensive, probably. I mean . . . I'm not really sure, actually. What did you do the first time you leanred to fight like that?"

[Kaie]

Upon her curious reply, the Myrian blinked twice at the question. Her reply was rather simple.

"I got my ass kicked."

Slowly her expression broke into a crooked smile, more friendly than before. It was as if she had felt the power of her own words, though only she could see the truth in them. Gradually the memory make itself known to her again. Her father practically bringing her on a death march (okay, maybe she was being a little dramatic) into the jungle for her first lesson. He knew just how to play her. Toying with her enthusiasm and ambition, her eagerness to succeed and make him proud. To make it all seem easy. And he had exploited her weaknesses. It was only when he tore down her childish sense of entitlement and any confidence in her skills, that she could learn. After all, what little kid doesn't think they're above it all until someone brings everything crashing down on their head?

[color=Gold]"If you mean to know how to block and counter, I can show you a thing or two. I promise to be a little bit more...Gentle than my teacher was," Kaie answered with a bit of a joking tease on the end. She watched the woman expectantly, waiting for questions or confirmations.

[Sagitta]

If she needed to get beaten up in order to learn how to fight, Sagitta was about to have some second thoughts. Thankfully, she noticed that Kaie was somewhat teasing. The Ethaefal had never been especially good in head-on encounter. Look at the last time she was about to face a Balicani, she would not have survived if luck was not on her side.

But she had no choice and she knew it. The world was dangerous and running way could not be her only plan. Especially now that she had thoughts of joining the ranks of the city's knightly order. A part of her still think it was foolish, that risking her life for the safety of other who cared not for her was not the best idea, but she had no other way. She had been remembering her past - Arivia's life - and something told her she should join the knights. Faintly, she could remember her talking to her brother, Oz, about it. About how he would go to the city and be a knight. Arivia had promised to bring him to Syliras whatever it took. Too bad she had never had the chance to fulfill just that.

Blinking slowly, the Ethaefal turned back to the woman. Her thoughts had been crowding in her mind lately, stealing her away from reality. "Alright, I am up for it. And maybe some offensive wouldn't hurt."