invite / serendipitous

[Nikiya Koshkal]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=style, text-align: justify; border-bottom: 2px solid;] let sleeping dogs lie       Lake Hylia was a charmingly refreshing spot to take a break, however brief. How the Ainur found herself to end up in such a place was unknown to her, but it was not a result that she could object to. The breeze blew coolly under the midday sun, gently caressing the scattered patches of grass here and there, occasionally sending a lonely bug on its startled way. With such a peaceful scene held within her crimson grasp, there was no way that she, of the wilderness would be able to resist dropping everything and absorbing the serenity. Though she was a beast of the frozen edens, the warmly tropical climates were much more inviting than the biting frost.       Sprawled out in a soft patch of grass that she had discerned and specially chosen amongst the many, the wolf-eared female was on her back, staring towards the endless blue. As if to block out the impeding sun, an arm was raised up, open palm creating a shadowed visor over her eyes as she lightly narrowed them into a squint. After mere moments, it would appear that she had deemed there was nothing of interest, flipping her hand over to come down and rest upon her temple with a tired sigh. There were many things burdening her mind, yet at the same time, there was naught. It was a questionable mixture of emotions.       Though she was garbed in her common guise, "Koshkal," which usually kept her tail and ears hidden, the teenager had deemed it perfectly fine to remove her hat, which was strewn beside her flatly, making it seem discarded without much thought or remorse. Her entire being was easy to spot in the lush foliage, being black, red, and white on fertile, healthy greens. If there was any blood-hungry vagabond hidden somewhere, it would be easy to assume she would be easy prey. Yet even as relaxed as she was, her guard was always up, her senses on alert, and her limbs poised to move at a moment's notice, for when were dogs ever allowed to rest?       There was a futile attempt to get her thoughts straight. What was she doing, or even planning to do from here on? There was not much she had thought through in regards to her future. As a mere creature, meant to be slain, she charged through life, believing that was how things were meant to be until the day she died. Thinking about it now, however, there was a great number of things she could amount to, whether she was an Ainur or not. So, in her still, beguiled silence, she pondered and pondered. But the only answer that came to Koshkal was her original creed: "Life is a game."

in a game of lose or win

[Elohim]

Life was very much a game, especially to the dead. Nikiya didn't know it, but a familiar face would soon be greeting her. Her first tournament match, from back during the festival, was ended in a less than satisfactory way on both sides. Her opponent was forced to leave early due to a mix of boredom and sudden actual business. Invisible messengers were useful but hard to notice like that. Regardless, as much as the tournament would have been more amusing for him, he had work to do, and so quitting was his only option. The battle was a dull one as well, as he could tell what happened was not the woman's area of expertise. Despite that, she continued at it anyway, and was able to survive longer than most. She was somewhat clever as well, knowing her place but willingly being audacious towards him.

It was something of a whim, but that man wished for a rematch. The woman showed potential, and he wanted to see how that would fare in a true match between swordsmen. A long time had passed since he had fought a worthy opponent....no, for as far back as he could recall, there truly had been no worthy opponents. There were skilled ones, but they were fools. Foolish warriors were no better than intelligent commoners, and Elohim sought both traits in a foe. Some had potential but refused to follow it, which was almost saddening for him. Almost, since he had long gone into the mindset of 'worthless until proven otherwise'.

That is what lead the Undertaker to appear there, upon that patch of grass near the woman. He stood in the black and white ensemble he had initially worn in the tournament match with his arms folded over his chest looking down at her. He didn't look annoyed or anything of the sort, but looked down on her with a mix of his standard batch of arrogance and a bit of amusement. He was actually hopeful for this, something that didn't happen too often. Then again, what was about to happen wasn't something that happened often.

"Greetings, faker. I've come to settle our score and see who is the better of us," he spoke calmly, with a very supressed tone of arrogance. While his voice was naturally haughty, he was actually consciously supressing it for that request. He didn't want this to come across as a, well, completely rude request. He wanted a good match between swordsmen, to see if this woman had the potential he belived she did, and if she could follow up on it. If she didn't, then he'd probably just kill her for wasting his time.

[/size]

[Nikiya Koshkal]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=style, text-align: justify;]      The breeze shifted before her, her silver bangs sweeping over her forehead in the process as she sniffed. Perhaps it was an odd tendency, to sniff, but that was simply how she kept herself wary of her surroundings. She was a bit of a dog, after all. And old habits die hard. How often a simple extrapolation of the changes in the air around her had saved her life, she had lost count. It would seem that wouldn't change this once either, as with that very sniff, the teen caught an abnormally familiar scent; one that she wasn't likely going to forget any time soon. It was neither pleasant or unpleasant, but it was enough to drive her already ravenous curiosity.       Crimson irises observed their surroundings once more. She barely had to move her head to find the source of the disturbance in her scenic phantasm: black, white, gold, and towering above her a little ways away, striking a pose that suggested impatience to her, though his expressions, if mild, betrayed it.       Koshkal, or rather, perhaps she was better recognized as Nikiya at present, would have spoken first, but she found naught to say, and was beat to the chase. His words earned the Ainur's defiant gaze, accompanied by a challenging smirk. Though they had not truly known each other, she had already grown used to his dialect, and the minute lack thereof was amusing to her. His request was further tantalizing. She thought the outcome of their first encounter was pristinely clear, so why did it seem he was going out of his way to further assault her?       Despite that, Nikiya decided to amuse the lion. Also because she did not have any plans that day, so why not spend it getting battered and beat on a fine, sunny day? "The better of us?" She half smirked. "I'll have you know, though I certainly could have held out for a while longer in our last encounter, I believe the results were quite definitive." It was less of an assurance for the golden man, but more for herself. Only momentarily definitive, however. She had quite a long while to improve her abilities. Though at the same time, so did he, didn't he?       Speaking of, there was yet another fact she felt the need to address. When the anti-climatic closure of the tournament had come about, the Wolfos was more than ready (an overstatement, actually) to miraculously jump back into action. But before that could happen, her foe mysteriously quit, and once the results had been announced, she found herself succumbing to the darkness creeping in her consciousness.       "Alas, very well," The teen replied after a moment, pushing herself off of the ground into a stand, swiping her hat back as she spun on her heels to face the man, brushing away any stray bits of dirt and debris along the way. It was easy to see that even standing, he towered over her by several inches. "I'm expecting to receive my key back, one way or another." She was positive he knew what she spoke of. Upon awakening in the care of the Fairies, she ventured out into the battlefield once more, but saw no sign of the silver key. It did not hold much value to her, not even sentimentally, but it was nice to have regardless. ooc // rambling post, uguuh.

[Elohim]

Elohim was almost amused at how defeatist the woman was about how their last battle had gone. Indeed, it was a one-sided slaughter, but it was exactly as he had intended it. Very few had an appropriate defense against his primary method of attack, since in this day and age, everyone pretends to be heroes with dreams of glorious matches of steel and duels of magic. Nobody expects swords to be fired at them, which is why Elohim inherently wields an advantage over most. The sheer power he commanded made it difficult to counter him, but that wasn't why he was here. Back then, Elohim fought as the King of Heroes and the Undertaker; today, he fought as a warrior.

"You assume we shall be fighting the same way as before," he replied as he held out both of his arms, a pair of long golden swords forming in his hands. These blades were unlike any crafted; the c-shaped curve in the metal below the blade, the sheen of the blades in the light, the overall unusual design. These blades were the true treasures of the King of Heroes, and were blades he only pulled out when he believed one was worthy of facing him in melee combat. This woman proved her worth as a living being back then; Elohim was just annoyed at having to start at the bottom of the bracket like the others. He now wished to test her prowess.

"You will receive that precious key of yours assuming you can prove to me that your life has meaning," he added on as golden light enveloped his body for a moment. When it faded, his attire had changed. His lower half was covered in armor, just as it had been before, but his upper half was different. The armor came to a halt at the waist, and from then up Elohim had bared his being to the world, the red tattoos of kingship adorning his torso. The red-lines formed a pattern, reaching from his waist over his shoulders and down his back. They reached to wrap around the bicep of his right arm as well, and while most of them were straight edge lines, the lower left of his stomach had a lone, curved strand. It was visible now that the King of Heroes was not a lazy slob; his form revealed the muscle structure that saw little use, but was continually maintained.

"Now draw your blades, today I fight you as a warrior!"

In truth, Elohim was actually handicapping himself like this. He knew his ranged method of combat was more potent than his melee, but this was a sign of respect from him. His ranged combat's power is a direct result of the frequency of it's use and how often he wanted it to kill his opponent. If he were a more common melee fighter, his melee capabilities would be stronger, but such was not the case. Still, Elohim was confident in his own abilities enough to do this.

[/size]

[Nikiya Koshkal]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=style, text-align: justify;]      Hoh? It would appear that she had done something that earned her some bit of honor. Nikiya couldn't imagine what, but she saw no point in questioning it, either. For what answer would a "faker" get but a vague one? So she was a faker, hm. If she were any other normal person, she would have been offended by such a title, but of course, she had been called much worse things, and had adapted to vile nomenclatures accordingly. Such is the fate of one who was far from being a normal person.       If she had not already been drawn into this enigmatic apparition before her as the light came and went, a mentioning of the key would, accompanied by the subtle flick of an ear. It was as she had suspected, though it was an easy guess to make in the first place. Power was evident in this one; power she couldn't possibly expect to overcome by sheer force. Something she never truly relied upon in the first place.       Intriguing. Even with the threat of a perhaps vicious loss at hand, how could she decline?       The time had arrived, though it felt like a fleeting moment. She was anxious and mildly bewildered at the same moment, and the teen could only hope she would not somehow mess this up for herself. Oddly enough, her gut told her that this may very well be a turning point in her troublesome life. To do something. Whatever that something was, she hadn't the slightest idea. Perhaps she would discover it in the end, if she made it, that is.       Nikiya quickly observed, scanned, ruminating over whether she would attempt to match his dual-wield, or see how well she could fare single-bladed. The mental quarrel was soon dispersed, when the female deemed herself better off not overestimating herself, nor undermining her opponent. Quietly, she shifted her feet apart, just enough to balance herself as she raised her hand to replace her retrieved hat back where it belonged upon her silver head, concealing the canine ears that poked out. It was more than likely going to be discarded once more, but it felt necessary to begin with it.       The actions of the Wolfos did not take long, as her hands, now freed, reached for the two topmost blades at either side, drawing them to reveal the near-identical twinswords, now held within her steady grip. Both had the same form, the blade appearing sharply bent on a blunter edge, curving to a lethal point, whilst the other was riddled with a set of three jagged teeth, and a fourth near the base of the weapon.       "So, witness you shall, the might of a wolf."

[Elohim]

Elohim's smirk grew into an arrogant grin as the woman took up her fighting stance. The two were ready, and the match would begin. His grip tightened as he heard her speak, intending to see if she deserved the title of 'wolf' or if she was truly a mutt as he first believed. This clash of blades would determine the truth, as steel could not lie. The words of man in life and death were plagued with figments and lies, willingly or otherwise, but swords didn't know how to do such things. Swords could only do what they were made to do, and in that, could only speak the truth. Perhaps this was part of why Elohim chose to bombard his enemies with swords rather than magic, or perhaps he was just that strange.

Probably a mix of both.

"We shall see your worth as a dog here!"

And with that, Elohim pushed off and initiated the fight. His swords were more than simple blades, but he did not intend to reveal this fact right off the bat, and would keep them in their sword form until pushed to use them differently. How far she would take the fight would be a show of her worth, if her life had meaning. She was a dog, a wolf, and so her life had to be spent protecting herself from predators and killing her prey. Her skill in combat would be a marker of her abilities, a sort of 'judgment' of whether or not she truly deserved the life she had.

Not intending to strike a deadly blow from the beginning, he started them off with a simple downward slash using his right blade, bringing it down dead center on the woman. His left was held to the side as a defensive option, and Elohim's feet were poised to allow him to move. The way he halted his charge before her put him in a position where his legs acted like springs, coiled and ready to propel him away. He may be a king, but even in life he still had years of combat practice, and in death, years of actual combat experience. Many of those who died and rebelled against him didn't go quietly after all, and a king had to pass judgment and use rebellious ones as examples of his punishment.

[/size]

[Nikiya Koshkal]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=style, text-align: justify;]      Eating words was never fun, and Nikiya hoped she would not have to throughout the fight. It was only natural that a feeling of dread would settle in her stomach with her anticipation, thanks to the first match that set her mental expectations. Though it had been deemed a win for her, it was truly a loss, and she planned to redeem herself, even if it meant landing just one tiny scratch upon the lion. Even if it killed her, such an event would appease her well enough in her current combative state.       The battle began, with a relatively easy start, in her eyes. Crimson eyes caught his movements easily and swiftly, varying results being relayed in her mind. A basic swipe. There was a chance she could attempt a counter, but it also meant a stalemate, with a quick escape and retaliation at that. She rejected the idea, and bade her feet to move opposite to her foe, leaping back and slightly to her side, just enough to distance herself from the blade's encroachment.       Grass brushed silently beneath her amidst the action, and using the gravity of the landing, the Ainur crouched lightly to spring back up and forth, raising her left hand in a swift forward slash, aimed towards the man's lower right torso. Her right arm was kept in check at her side, prepared to assist if the need arose. If she remained uninterrupted, once she had retracted her blade to a satisfactory range, Nikiya would then follow up by pulling back with horizontal swipe using the same blade.

[Elohim]

A simple attack earned a simple response. His slash was avoided as the woman jumped back, but Elohim chose to stand his ground. He brought his arm back to bear while, without actually moving the blade, he shifted the grip on his left blade into that of a reverse grip. It was a little awkward on his arm for that exact position, but he did intend to show this woman one trick of his early. Blame it on his ego, but he had to make up for the simplicity of his first attack with something a little more interesting. The woman did not waste time in her return dash, and as she did, Elohim's arms just finished moving into position. She was quick.

Her slash was just as quick, but Elohim's defense had already been set into place. As soon as the movement of her arm began for the attack, he began to move his left arm. His movement brought the sword so it faced backward as his grip implied it to, and in turn, it brought a different part of the blade to clash with her sword. Her slash connected with Elohim's sword, landing in between two of the smaller blades that extended from the c-curve. Those small blades weren't meant as an offensive option for him; they were a defensive tool, acting as 'teeth' to catch enemy blades in. They weren't as effective as swords designed as sword-breakers, but they did well enough.

A small click happened during the clash, as the blade of Elohim's left sword suddenly folded backwards with the blade of Nikiya's still caught in it. The sword suddenly became a large bladed tonfa, and while that happened, Elohim moved to make another slash with his right, a diagonal slash aimed at her torso. He turned his body as he slashed, pulling his left away to try and disarm the woman completely of her first blade. In turn, it would leave her with one less weapon to guard against this attack with if he succeeded, but he was still just toying with her for now. This tactic was less meant to ruin her as to just give her a taste of the future.

A king could be generous every once in a while, no?

[/size]

[Nikiya Koshkal]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=style, text-align: justify;]      Things were fairly basic at this point, but the Ainur could already feel a tension rising, though the same may not have been the same for her foe. She was well aware she was going to have to think every action through carefully, but she was unsure if she could possibly manage that. At least in the end, she would learn of her weaknesses. If she still existed after this, that is.       It did not take long after her first swing when she was caught roughly with the sound of blades clashing, followed by yet another sound, that she caught easily with her ears. These were not ordinary blades, she could discern that much, and noted the obvious path this method was taking. Instinctively frowning, she held a solid grip on her trapped weapon, swiftly bringing up her right arm to intercept the oncoming secondary attack. It was a precarious position to be put in, and not a good one. A slip of her guard would easily ruin her block, and he was additionally making a move to wrench her left blade from her grip.       Unexpectedly, Nikiya conceded to his whims. As she attempted to keep his attack at bay with her right blade, she yanked her left arm with a formidable amount of strength the opposite direction her original attack had been swung, which in turn was the opposite direction that the lion spun. In doing so, she released the hilt at her timed momentum, in hopes of at least dislodging the swords from each other, even if it meant losing one, and sending it projected somewhere away from his possible usage.       As she let go, her left hand was now free, and to avoid the strike of Elohim's slash, she kicked forth her legs and dropped, pulling her right blade away from the stalemate once she had deemed herself low enough. Her free hand stopped her from falling flat upon the ground, holding herself up as she twisted her body, once rotating herself in a full circle in a first attempt to kick the man's leg at the side, before retracting her outstretched and letting herself drop to the ground in a second rotation and roll some distance away in order to give herself time to get back to her feet. ooc // sorry for the delayed replyyy! i hope that made sense.. /tired of rolling around on the ground.