PM to join To a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail

[Kaie]

2nd of Fall, 516 AV
Early Morning


Everything was on fire. Her mind, her body, her very soul. It was in her eyes, in her heart, burning within her very lungs as they labored for air. It once existed as nothing more than a spark born from a bond between kindred spirits, whose relationship ascended that of common lovers to take flame. Their intimacy was a wildfire that burned hot and bright. Then the winds of distance came, stirring the blaze into an inferno that threatened to consume all it touched. The peril heightened with every passing day the bondmates remained separated. Either they would reunite and burn as one, or their own suffering would lead to a madness that would snuff their lights out.

Kaie's jab drilled into the face of her opponent at the Anthonius Fighter's Pit. A cross followed to ensure the man's guard would focus on his face, and when it struck, her left fist swung from below to devastate him with a liver shot. The fight all but left the man upon impact. With wide eyes he crumpled with a yelp only to receive the punishment of the Myrian's knee. He landed on his back in the sand, one hand clutching his bloody face while the other hovered protectively over his side. He submitted to her with a raising of his palm.

Frustrated, the Myrian paced backward with feral eyes searching the others present. "Who wants to step up next?" She called out, spinning in place in anticipation. It was the second man she'd quickly dropped that day, and the others seemed hesitant to fall to their knees before a savage woman. "How about you?" She gestured toward an especially large man meandering through, who quickly turned to dumbly point a finger questioningly to his own chest. "Let's see you petching step."

Kaie's younger sister, Jeida, slowly shook her head from the sidelines where she drank water from one of the troughs. Sky's disappearance from Riverfall was sudden. He was supposed to have been gone for no more than a few chimes or a bell at best. Instead Kaie rose from her sleep, awakened by the suffering her bondmate was experiencing from afar. It continued with every waking breath from that moment onward.

When Syna rose over the horizon, she was greeted with the frustrations of a lover lost to her. When she drank, her body numbed but she was no less sensitive to his sadness. What started as a distress was slowly leading the Myrian into a madness that would not neglect her so long as she breathed. It worsened with each passing bell. If alcohol would not soothe her agony, the savage woman knew only one other outlet she could put her faith into. The pain she felt on the inside would be mirrored in the world around her.

[Kaie]

The Myrian woman was likened to that of a caged animal, a tigress trapped within the depths of a pit within the forest floor. She paced a short distance back and forth in anticipation. Hungry amber eyes were locked on the man she had challenged. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, dilating her pupils and feeding insatiable muscles itching to move to violent action. She shook out her shoulders and let each hand give a slap to the opposite arm. "Come on, you big ugly bastard. Make my petching day," she taunted darkly, the playful tone she had once used to spur sparring partners to action absent from her voice.

"I fight with weapons," the large man scoffed with a scowl. Kaie's lips twitched momentarily as if to smirk. Now we're talking, her mind thought with sinister intent. She meandered toward the practice weapons rack and procured from it a dulled gladius. The woman gave the weapon a twirl in her hand, satisfied in its weight and balance in her grasp. "Good. Let's make it interesting then." Her large opponent huffed an empty laugh before lifting an ax from the rack for his own purposes. The Myrian settled into her fighting stance, knees bent and hands lifting in a proper guard. With her free, cupped hand, she gestured for her challenger to rise to the occasion.

The large man moved forth with a grunt, ax swinging like a mad man as he approached. Kaie's lips curled but she stood her ground. Her gnosis ignited upon her flesh and the warning her gift gave of malicious intent erupted in her mind. It was quite literally overwhelming, all the stimulus she was subjected to all originating from within. There was truly no way to battle her own mind. The "civilized" part of her needed to be fed to whims of The Tigress: that savage part of her mind that was little more than animal. It was the only way she wouldn't lose herself entirely.

The third ax swing finally set off the metaphorical alarm bells associated with her ability. The feral fighter, compelled by the urge to remove herself from her center, pivoted out of the way. Simultaneously, her gladius rose to knock the ax past her. The ax warded off any attempts to get behind her opponent with a wild back swing. The Myrian woman bared her teeth and exhaled a growl. Jeida left the comforts provided by the water trough to stand with other spectators to observe the fray. Any admiration or motivation the display might've once been inspired in her watching eyes was not present, for the younger sister knew exactly what she was watching: a woman plunging into an oblivion, and one she knew not how to save her from.

[Kaie]

"Is your aim on the field as bad as your aim in bed with a woman?" Kaie sneered as she circled him, giving the gladius another showy twirl as she flashed bared teeth. A few chuckles were elicited from the audience, some of which had started to place bets on their chosen favorite for the match. The big man snorted and spat. "I'm just getting warmed up," he growled defensively before stomping toward her. The gnosis on her flesh still began its motivating burn. "I sure petching hope so." The malice detected from her opponent only worsened with each verbal jab she offered. The realization only made the exchange that much more enjoyable.

The ax came swinging again and the Myrian began her dance with it. Front swing, back swing, the woman falling back and then ducking beneath it to cross the space between. Her eyes widened with excitement as she approached the open torso with gladius beginning to jerk forth. A warning came too late. Her ambitions were halted by a fist colliding with her cheek, sending her down into the sand. Gasps emitted from onlookers as the repetitive victor hit the sand. Kaie, just as shocked, immediately rolled to her back with guard raised. The big man saw his chance and lifted the ax high.

With a snarl, Kaie's legs shot out to scissor kick the nearest of the man's legs. In a tick he collapsed beside her on the sand face first, and the Myrian rolled inward with her legs still holding his shin in a vice. A sickening pop echoed about the sparring circle. The big man's eyes squinted shut and a wail broke silence. One man standing on the sidelines turned and wretched into the sand, causing others near him to gag. Those that held their stomachs could do little but stand there with hands covering mouths, wincing at the sight of the dislocated knee.

The Myrian untangled herself and rushed to her feet. The gladius was pressed to the back of the man's neck, who somehow remembered to release the ax in his hand despite the agony he endured. She should've been content. Something should've been felt. A feeling of reward, accomplishment, of victory. Inside her swelled only more frustration, anger, and the looming threat of hopelessness. He was still present in the back of her mind. None so far had managed to numb him away with a beating.

Jeida caught Kaie's eye and slowly shook her head at her elder sister, whose own hardened gaze yielded no conception of remorse. "So this is it, hm?" Kaie addressed the small crowd, voice raising to meet the ears of any occupying the pit. She placed her foot atop the man's back and lifted the dulled sword to rest on her shoulder. "This is the finest Syliras has to offer?" Amber eyes gazed down with disgust at the large man hyperventilating beneath her in an attempt to quiet his howls. "Petching disgrace..." She tossed the practice sword to the side and removed her foot from the man's back.

[Kaie]

She made her way toward the water trough. Jeida's gaze followed her with a concerned stare Kaie could feel upon the back of her head. She did her best to ignore it, instead taking time to drink from the trough and splash water over her face. She could feel the bruise forming on her cheek. "Do you have the stamina for one last match?" Her brow furrowed but she turned to find a man of average stature standing a few feet behind her.

Upon a glance he seemed to be a mediocre challenger. He was tall, but not much taller than she was. He was toned and muscled, but not so massive and bulky as his predecessor. Golden blonde hair was slicked back with sweat, his clean-shaven face nearly glistened, and blue eyes sparkled with a sense of purpose. She set her jaw.

"I don't get tired," she replied darkly with a notion illogical but one a warrior needed to believe. She rose, shaking the water from her hands. "You some sort of knight?" Jeida wandered over with a curious expression, waiting in the wings on the chance things went south. The man grinned. "Working up to it one day. Until then, I'll keep my fellow Sylirans from being abused."

The Myrian moved closer with a twitch of a smirk threatening to cross her lips. Her brow rose, eyes searching his cool face. "Didn't like my show?" She could feel a hint of malice arising from the man, but it was not the level she'd expect to bring the man to action.

Do it. Do it. Do it.

The man glanced back at the big man being helped from the pits before finding her face again. His voice rose as if intended to draw the attention of the others present."You do not fight with honor."
"Honor?" The Myrian nearly guffawed in his face as she brushed past him back toward the wider arena. "Let's see where honor on the battlefield gets you." The knight-to-be followed her, but as he moved to pass the weapons rack, she waggled a finger at him. He shrugged as if not phased by the addition of swordmanship required of him.

[Kaie]

Kaie approached the practice gladius she had just wielded upon the sands...kicking it away far outside their sparring ground. When she heard the sound of a sword being chosen from the practice rack, she raised her voice. "No! Pick up a blade with a real edge..." The man's brow furrowed and onlookers began to murmur to one another. Yet the Myrian proved to be pulling no punches when she walked to her own possessions, and procured Skyard's impressive scimitar.

It was the first time she had elected to wield the blade over her father's gladius. The weight was new, the unique hand guard was alien, and the curve of sword was a detail to a weapon she had not yet trifled with. Nonetheless, she extended it toward the blonde opponent, who awkwardly took a blade donated to him by an audience member. He blinked as he stood there, the weight of the sword and the mess he'd volunteered himself for seeming to strike him still. Kaie would offer him no reprieve.

She forced the man to action with a shriek of "glory to Myri!" in her native tongue, sword cutting down and forcing the man to block the assault. Wide-eyed, he failed to continue the dance. The amateur scimitar wielder caught him with a back swing before he could evade her movements, causing him to fall back with a sharp inhale. A line of red seeped through the slice in his upper arm, bleeding through the shirt.

"Stop this, Sister!" Jeida hissed in their shared tongue from the sidelines, voice firm. Kaie curled her lip, shaking her head as the intoxicating burn of the gnosis set in. Voices rose in blatant opposition toward their deadly duel. "Kaie!" The noble junior sprung between the fighters foolishly with a hand raised to pause the Myrian bracing to strike her opponent again. Her swing halted immediately, expression turning hostile.

"Move, Jeida," Kaie warned with fiery gaze. Her younger sister's was just as unwavering, lips pressed into a hard line as she stood as solid as stone. There was but a tick of uncertainty that persisted. Many seemed to hold their breaths. Would she turn on kin? Would a new perilous spar begin?

For a moment not even Kaie knew herself as she seemed to weigh her sister against her inner demons. She lowered the scimitar, peering past Jeida to send a dagger-stare toward the blonde. "It is because of her that you live to see another day."

[Kaie]

Even with the adrenaline coursing through her veins, Kaie could feel the intensity of ache in her tired muscles. The burn that often felt like a reward for training well done was more of an annoyance to the enraged woman. The few from the small crowd that didn't have the sense to part from her wake were promptly shoved aside as the Myrian made for her possessions. Skyard's scimitar was shoved back carefully into its sheath before she slung it over her shoulder. The weapon belt toting her gladius was attached next, as without giving pause for Jeida, she stormed from the Pits.

Her younger sister did indeed follow, albeit with a flurry of Myrian curses and a roll of her dark eyes. She delivered smack to Kaie's arm with the back of her hand once she had managed to catch up. "What the petch was that?" Her voice was tense and accusing, gaze settled on Kaie's face though it never turned so that their eyes might meet. The elder of the pair curled her lip.

"Kaie!" Jeida grabbed the arm she struck and roughly tucked her sister so that she might stand in place. Had the young woman not been her sister, Kaie might've been hostile to the touch. "Don't you ever get in the middle of one my spars again," Kaie snarled, shaking off Jeida's grip so she might continue walking. Already she could hear the banter of a Syliran street coming up. A main path she knew could take her directly to the Rearing Stallion.

"That was not a spar. That was meant to be a bloodbath and you know it. What happened to all that talk about these petching Syliran knight assholes? About not attracting their attention?" Jeida interrogated Kaie harshly. The hands at Kaie's sides began to ball to fists, her teeth gritting as though through sheer will alone she could keep everything she felt inside at bay.

"Is this about him?" Jeida finally prompted, and her words finally succeeded in causing her sister to pause in step. For a tick she merely stood there, long wavy hair billowing in the wind. The world around them was alive, and yet the air between them was dead. "You cared for him, I know...but he left. You have to let him go." Kaie whipped around hands lacing through her hair and amber eyes dark with restrained emotion.

"You don't understand! The bond...it's...it becomes a part of you. He's gone but he's always right here," Kaie attempted to explain with an index finger prodding her temple. Her eyes drifted upward and her tongue lashed out to wet her bottom lip. "He's gone but I can feel the way he longs for me. When he's in pain, it's mine to share. I am bombarded with emotions and sensations on top of my own every waking moment of the day. There's no escape and every day everything feels...louder."

Jeida stood there speechless, eyes indicating an inability to wholly fathom her experience. Kaie shook her head, brushing off the conversation so she might make for the street again. Alcohol could not bring her relief. Violence offered no catharsis. There was but one place left to turn: the Goddess Queen.