Masquerade Part 2: Army of Darkness

[charlie_]

"The guy in armour? Yeah, I stopped before him too - he seemed pretty buff. I'm pretty confident that I can take him on tomorrow, but... I need my good bow back for that." He stretched slightly. "Did anyone manage to beat the noble guy? Everyone I saw fighting him lost."

[Xinnidy]

"... Boosting magic, huh?" Maja realized that'd be a good chance to help her usefulness in the guild. If I could heal even better... Decided, she takes the bag, her purse of coins, and puts her few (physical) lances, used mend staff and vulnerary in the counter. "I'll want it. Do you mind if I use these to make up the cost?" She had no idea how much it costed, but it was probably out of her range price after her recent purchase and gambling.

[Nanami Touko]

Mass Trade

Trevor was more than surprised that the small girl could manage to place so much onto his counter, but he nodded and handed her the bag as she did. "Y-Yeah, that's fine. I can take these and sell them. Thank you, so much, for your patronage." He smiled, and hoped she, or the people she may have been in town with, would stop on by. He had a few more of those parameter increasing items... Maybe he should change the name of his shop!

[algae]

"Not that I saw. Vriska was the only one to make it to him since you left, and she lost pretty quickly." That reminds me... "Speaking of Vriska, what was that fight about earlier? Just her overreacting about something?"

[Xinnidy]

"Thanks a lot!" Maja picked up the bag and the leftover money, and walked outside.

Kadin approached Maja with some curiosity. "Got something you liked?" He gave a faint smile... then noticed a building not too far in the distance --the arena he'd left some hours ago. This night... it can't pass by fast enough. Not to me. His mood dropped when he thought of the wait.

"Sure did! It will make me help the others more, I believe." Maja looked at Kadin again, noting his new mood. "Kadin, what's the matter?" She asked.

"..." Kadin was reluctant, but it was Maja. Maybe she'd understand... "Sorry... it's just... the arena. I saw the others fight, and... I know the final combatant, that man that stays up in the throne." He paused to look at her. "I have already talked to Makin. She's going to arrange a talk with him tomorrow. You don't need to worry."

"What?!" Maja's eyes bugged out as she heard what Kadin had to say. She remembered the arena, was that strong guy that beat Vriska related to him? "Kadin, why didn't you say that earlier?! I'll... I'll help! Let's go there now!" She said, darting off to the arena.

"Wait, wait. Maja, no!" Kadin hurried to follow her-- just what would the girl try to do on her own?! She'd be stopped by the guards and make a fool of herself!

Reaching the arena, Maja rushed upstairs and looked at both the night crowd and "...him. That's got to be the guy." She spoke under her breath. She saw two members of the guild in the arena --Angus and Sonia--, so she waved and approached them, while getting a good look at Marius' seat. I... can't get to him, he's guarded there... just what should I-

And then a plan formed in her head. ...One that kinda ignored formal diplomacy, but nonetheless.

"Hi there!" She sat down next to the two. "I know it's kind of a big favor... but could you give me some gold? Like... three hundred and twenty? ...It's kind of a lot, I know. It's really, really important, and I'll be able to pay you back, soon, I'm sure!"

...She wasn't very good at this persuasion thing.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Tristram entered the arena with a grin. Patting his horse's neck, he drew his sword and waited patiently for the first opponent to appear. When they did, he gave a chuckle. This would be easy. And so it was. He took a slight scrape in the battle, but he manged to quickly dispatch the man, leaving him bleeding on the ground. Moving his horse away, he sighed in relief as the healers above healed him.

As the next man entered the arena, Trist frowned slightly and swapped out his trusty sword for the lance that he was slightly less used to using. Giving it a few thrusts, he gave a nod, and settled in. As soon as the match started, he kicked his horse into action and charged at the man. He slammed his lance into his opponent but couldn't avoid the counter. Whipping the butt of his lance around, he slammed the back of the man's head, knocking him out. Once again, he moved away from the downed opponent, and cleaned off the tip of his lance.

Next up was a soldier, using a lance. With a slight sigh, Trist kept using his lance, needing the reach to have a good chance at this fight. Circling his opponent, he jabbed at him twice, leaving the man bleeding but still up. He managed to slash him once in return, but Trist quickly responded by whipping his lance around and knocking the man off his feet. Placing his lance at the man's throat, he grinned as the man smartly surrendered.

A heavily armored knight moved out next. Trist frowned, but decided to give it a go. The man was using a club, which meant that he could switch back to his trusty sword. He had his horse dance around the man, causing the man to miss more often than not. He'd landed a few solid hits when one of the man's wild swings finally connected. He was knocked off his horse with a grunt, but managed to roll out of the way of the follow up swing and slammed down onto the man's wrist. The force of the blow managed to knock the club out of the man's hand and he finished by quickly moving his sword to the man's throat.

Sore and bruised, the healing was a welcome relief. Up next was an unarmored man who seemed to be a mage of some sort. Pulling himself back up onto his horse, he charged at the man. Slashing across his unarmored body, he left the man bleeding. As he started to turn his horse for a second charge, he got slammed by a gust of wind that almost knocked him off his horse. With barely enough strength to finish the fight, he slashed once more at the man, knocking him down. With a slight sigh of relief, he moved his horse back to the other side of the arena and basked in the healing. Just then, a dragon and his rider showed up next in the arena. "... Fuck no." Signaling that he was done, he slid off his horse and headed over to the man in charge of the money. Collecting his winnings, he stabled his horse at the arena and headed up into the stands. He figured there might be a few more fights that night, and wanted to watch them if they happened.

Edited October 26, 2014 by scorri

[charlie_]

He was kind of hoping that Vriska (and Lanos) wouldn't come up in conversation, but he wasn't surprised when it did. "Yeah, kind of. We... probably didn't handle the situation in the best way ourselves, but still. I think she calmed down a bit now though. At least, I don't think she'll go around punching people anymore." he laughed.

He was kind of surprised to see Maja come up to him and ask for some gold, but he was in a better mood after his gambling success, so he didn't feel too bad about parting with it. "Are you gonna take on the arena?" he asked getting his pouch out. "Well, either way, you can have it." he said, counting out the gold and passing it to the cleric. "Good luck with uh... whatever it is you're doing." It was then that he noticed the ghost stood next to her, although from prior experience he probably should've noticed him sooner. "Hey Kadin. Has being in Felson done anything to jog your memories yet?" He hadn't really spoken to the ghost in a while, but he hoped that things were going well for him all the same. If there was anywhere he would be able to figure this stuff out, Felson was probably the place.

[Xinnidy]

"Whoah! Thanks!" She nodded and gladly took the gold. She thought over his question for a moment. "Well... I think you're going to find out soon. See you in a bit!" She quickly parted ways, until she noticed the ghost right behind her.

Kadin had just caught up, and looked intently at her. At least she knows better than to just barge in... He gave Maja a clear look of "please don't do this", only to be followed by her look of "don't worry, I've got this" as she passed by him. The ghost sighed.

He turned to Angus when he noticed the man speaking to him. "Ah, yes... more than I'd ever imagine. This place is definitely familiar to me..." He pondered about it for a moment, and decided to open up the same he did to Maja. "...That man over there as well." He pointed at Marius, still observing everything from his seat up the highest floor of the stands. "...I'm certain I know him. I've talked to Makin about it. I might get the chance tomorrow."

------

Outside, Maja quickly scouted the surroundings in search of a weapon shop. They've got to have something I can use around here... With some luck, she found a weapon shop in due haste. Alice's... huh, I thought I remembered passing by that shop and it had a kinda different name... no matter, I must be imagining things. She entered the shop, intent on being rather straightforward. "Hello... I need a lance that's good against tough opponents. Heavy armor and all that."

[scorri]

Tristram had been idly waiting for the next set of matches to start when a brightly dressed girl raced over to two nearby observers and then raced off again. As he started to turn away from them, he noticed a third person standing there that he'd originally missed. Looking a bit closer, he noticed the man seemed vaguely transparent. He's... He's a ghost, isn't he? Interesting... He slid slightly closer to the trio, trying to keep an eye on them without appearing to be spying on them.

[Nanami Touko]

The Right Weapon

"An edge over a lance? Well, a Lancereaver, obviously," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "There's a special sort of hook near the hilt, that makes it incredibly easy to parry a lance, leaving the user open to any attack. It's fantastic. I could use one, really... I don't think anyone in the group had one, though." He furrowed his brow, wondering if anyone did. "Maybe some of the stores have one in stock. We'd have to look around." He shrugged lightly, as their server came over.

"Have you two finished your meal?"

"Yes, I'm finished. What about you, Valha?"

Counseling

Vriska watched Lanos as he went into his room. She wondered if this was the right idea, but he hadn't said no. She walked in after him, and sat on the bed next to him. "I, uhm... I don't really know how to start this, so I'm just going to jump right in. I was orphaned by my parents, too." She took his hand, hoping it would help keep him calm about the situation. "I never knew who they were... I was dumped near Ward, and eventually, Hilda found me. She took me in, most of the time, at least, and raised me. She gave me my name. I don't even know what my last name is... So, I understand you. Or, at least what it feels like to be left alone by the people who are supposed to be taking care of you."

She paused, thinking about how to say this next. "I think... I think it's wonderful that your parents are still alive, and that they care so much about you. That they care enough to react. I won't tell you to feel happy about it. It's a lot to take in... But I'll be here, okay? And... V-Valha, will be too." She hated having to say that, but she was still his close friend, and perhaps bringing her up would make him feel a bit better about these things. "You can take your time to think about it..." She squeezed his hand as she said that, hoping it would bring a bit of comfort.

Hobbies

"You will." She winked, and ate some more burger. It was delicious. She swallowed that down and thought about what he was asking. "You mean, like, hobbies? Yeah. You mentioned one of them... Though I know it's not very interesting. I sew. I can make almost anything out of yarn and some sewing needles. Scarf, sweater, awkward blanket your grandmother sends you on your birthday." She laughed. "And the other is horseback riding. The plains are pretty large, and the teachers in Felson aren't that expensive. It's nice to be able to get out of the city for just a bit, and relax. It's fun, too, going so fast."

Tense

"Tense is a word... I think Makin and your archer buddy just laid down a revelation for the bird guy. I didn't really catch what it was, but... It was enough to depress even the snake," which Sara whispered, glancing over at Makin who was now huddle up on the couch, not sleeping, but simply curled around herself. "Anyway, I'll go fetch you some ham to eat, then. I wouldn't suggest pouring the vodka on it. It might ruin the flavour." Sara went into the back room, and the sounds of a few drawers and other things opening and closing could be faintly heard.

Watching

Marius watched with a bit of excitement as the new fighter stepped forward, and dealt with almost all of the arena. "Seems like there's always more fighters who can take my men... I might have to give them all stricter training." He chuckled to himself, despite being disappointed with the man not going any further than Marcus. Oh well. Not everyone can defeat a dragon rider...

Rival Shop

Alice sat behind her desk, reading a book and chewing gum. "Heavy spear. Far shelf. Good for armor," she said, without so much as looking at Maja. "Leave the gold on the counter. Don't try to steal it. Have a good day." Clearly she wasn't interested in customer service...

[spoiler=Conversations]Leiha weakly moved her wing as she prowled the slums, eyes darting every which way to try and spot any foolish enough to stay in the open away from the fire as night approached. "Damn that elf," she cursed. "Another setback when things seemed to be looking up. Not far away from hunting in the skies again..." She gently prodded her wound, hissing a bit. Despite the potion she used to heal it, there was obviously still heavy damage.

"Hah. Would you look at that. Seems like a rather serious wound to have gotten from some lowlives down here in the slums..." a smug voice called out, from a small alley way. A man, rather bandaged around his arm and stomach, walked on out, humming to himself. "You said an elf, hmm? This elf wouldn't have had a harpy with him, would he have? Don't worry about answering, this is rhetorical, but, humor me..."

Leiha turned instantly to the sound of the voice, baring her claws. "You must not know how things work here, little man. Walking the alleys of Felson, injured no less, as the day closes on us. You're either ignorant, brave, foolish, or dangerous- which is it?" She bit her lip. "What's it to you? I wasn't after the elf, he was just in my way. A struggle between sisters doesn't concern you."

"You know little, girl." Ertel sighed, and walked closer, showing no signs of fear. "It just so happens I have been tailing this group for a while, now. And I have a grudge with your sister. I saw your little fight from the rooftops, and while you could've taken Valha quite easily," he said, dropping her name, "that Ingverd cause you a bit of trouble, didn't he?"

"What's your deal with them?" Leiha asked hesitantly, still not trusting the man. "Sure must be an awful grudge to chase them around the continent. Tell me what you want from me, and why I should listen to you."

"Your sister stole my gold. Then, she, and her little band of mercenaries, killed all of my men, and left me to die. If I hadn't managed my way into that Ward town, and patched myself up, I would've bled out. Left to die in the woods because I couldn't deal with some people playing hero. But you, you're smart. You saw that group of people rush in, and you packed up. As much as I don't want to admit it, you seem like you'd be smarter than me. And I'd like to use that intelligence, to get back at them. Not all of them, that's a suicide mission. But that girl, and that elf. I want them to suffer."

"What are you offering me here, then? I usually hunt just fine on my own... it's just about finding the right moment." Leiha's expression soured a bit. "If you had others, you were a group, then... what was their deal? Seems that you need me a lot more than I need you right now."

Ertel sighed. It was never that simple, but he wanted to try, anyway. "Alright. You can't fly, can you?" He asked, looking at her wings.

"If you can do something about that, I'm all ears," Leiha spoke up, significantly more interested. "But answer my question, too. What kinda group were you in she'd be stealing and killing? Valha always had a sense of justice, or whatever pretentious ideal she'd stand for that day, but you had to be up to something."

"We were bandits," he said, shrugging. "I told you they were just playing hero. Sure, we weren't exactly the best of people; weapons smuggling, stealing, some extortion..." He left the part out about selling slaves, that would certainly not go over well with her. "And what I can do, is give you this," he continued, producing a vial from under his coat. "This is a wonderful bit of magic that I happened upon," he coughed, "one day, and let me show you how it works."

Ertel unwrapped his arm, and exposed the wound across it. The one that Ingverd had given him. With his thumb, he popped the cap off of the vial, and poured a simple drop of it onto his arm. The wound, immediately, was wrapped in a shimmering magical light, and once that light dissipated, his arm was perfectly fine...

He smirked, and put the vial away. "If that much can fix my arm, I figure the rest can deal with your problems. It's yours, IF, you can help me get my revenge. That's what I can do for you..."

Leiha's eyes lit up at the sight of the strange content of the vial's healing powers. "... Alright. What's your big plans, then, mister...?"

Ertel finally cracked a smirk. "I know where they're headed. Lovely poster in the slaughtered camp I passed through. Castle Karstell. Now... I'm not studied in the place. But I've heard enough to know that it's not somewhere you want to go. So. You help me get them killed in that Gods forsaken place, then this is yours, and you get to live your life like you used to be able to. Sound good? Ertel, by the way."

"How can I be sure you'll follow through? If they're dead, I'm not that important to you anymore, am I? You just told me you were a bandit, and I've just met you, so you don't win big points on credibility, either. Karstell's a long way from Felson, and I've got stuff and people I care about here. Sure would be awfully convenient to let me do all the work, attack me, and keep the potion for your own. There's a lot where a two-person hunt can fail, especially on this scale. What if their allies get in the way? What if trailing them gets to be impractical in the tundra? I'm risking an awful lot... it's the easy way out, but I've got plenty of time to wait rather than push it to the limit," Leiha spoke quickly. "At least some sort of advance would maybe heighten my incentive a bit."

Ertel sighed, but he kept his smile. "You are smart. Stick out your wing. Whichever one you prefer."

Leiha extended her left wing that Ingverd had stabbed- her stronger arm and more injured one.

Ertel approached Leiha cautiously, and when he was close enough, he took the vial out and popped the cap off again-- and quickly put a knife to Leiha's neck with his newly healed arm. "No sudden movements. I can think like you, as well. You could snatch this and I'd be out of an incentive to keep you along..." With a chuckle, he poured half of the vial onto her wing, quickly jumping back when he was done. There was nothing, for a moment, but after that a brilliant, and now burning, flash of light appeared upon Leiha's wing. It was so strong, that it actually was starting to burn her! Such an intense pain, but... It disappeared as quickly as it came. And what she was left with... Well. There wouldn't be anything wrong with her wing, now.

Leiha snarled at his threat, unsuccessfully swiping at him with her right arm when he leapt back. "Don't try me," she spat. The harpy cringed in pain at the burning sensation, but moved her wing and felt fine afterwards. "Threaten me once more and we're through, got it? You're still relying more on me... it'll take time, but given some waiting I'll be all set for flying again. And a predator has no problem waiting until the time is right. I am Leiha Kessix- allies or not, mine is a name you will fear." She backed off after. "Be here the same time tomorrow- I'm still a busy harpy, and the night is still long."

"Works for me, Leiha. I will be. And I hope you have some ideas for me to hear." Ertel chuckled to himself and slinked back into the alley he'd come out of, his chuckling almost turning into humming.

Edited October 26, 2014 by I have opinions

[riariadne]

"Huh, never heard of one. Usually it's all just the simple stuff I've been dealin' with... somethin' like that sure sounds handy to have around, doesn't it?" She pointed at her clean plate at his question. "Nothin' left to eat for me... all gone! Ready whenever you are."

[Xinnidy]

"Uh, riiiiight." Maja was a bit taken aback by the apathetic nonchalance of the shopkeeper. Guess she must be too tired of her job at this time of the day.

Maja simply followed through and got the heaviest spear on display and left the gold at the counter. No point stalling things out!

And so, Maja found herself coming back to the arena. It was happening. She stopped at a bench to try out that spirit dust thing --it was kinda sweet, but... more dry than sweet--. That... was kind of like candy, I guess. Standing up, she returned to the arena posthaste. Doing so, Maja puts the entry fee on the counter, determined to the end on her plan. "I'm fighting."

Kadin... If I manage it, you won't have to wait. I have to do it!

[Vestige]

"Yeah, I wouldn't pin it down as something I'd like to do, but hey, something for everyone. When'd you pick that up though, I'm curious to know. And Horseback riding on the other hand--that's pretty fun," he said, "though I'm a bit more fond of dragon riding myself," he added, trying to hold back a smile.

It was an attempt at modesty.

[charlie_]

"See you!" he called after Maja. He wasn't entirely convinced her plan was going to work, but he supposed that it couldn't hurt to try. He looked back to Kadin after she left. "Good to see that things are going well then. Although if Maja's plan is what I think it is, maybe you'll get to see him tonight." He let out a yawn. "Do you think she can do it? The armoured guy and the bloke riding the wyvern both seemed especially tough." And that's not even starting on Marius...

[Oersted]

Lanos listened as Vriska told her story, relaxing slightly when he learned she was like him and then more when she grabbed his hand. He smiled despite himself once she finished with her story, he'd never been comforted like that before. Of course it quickly faded once attention shifted back to him. "That's the entire problem though," he began. "I mean it's great that they care and it actually does make me glad that they do. But at the same time it messes with the entirety of what I've done to accept who I am and what I had to go through. And on top of that there's all the questions that I'd been content to answer 'they didn't care' or 'it's better this way' to that suddenly don't have answers anymore. I... I just don't know what to feel right now, my emotions are all over the place. The only thing I'm certain of is that I feel completely lost."

He allowed himself a smile when she said she'd be there for him but, despite his current state and just plain overall denseness on the matter, still caught her hesitation to mention Valha. He briefly wondered if perhaps she saw Valha similar to how he saw Ingverd, as awkward that would be. It probably wasn't the best time for such thoughts but whatever, they distracted him from himself as he waited for Vriska to reply.

[Nanami Touko]

Musings

"Well..." Vriska wasn't quite sure how to tackle that. She know how to talk about being alone. How to talk about dealing with that. But the flip side? It was almost foreign. Sure, Hilda had been nice; she'd taken her in, given her clothes and a place to sleep, even trained her magic somewhat. But, Lanos had no knowledge of his parents, and neither did she. She could only give the best advice that came to mind. "Then ask then all the questions you need to, to get a grip on who you are... It's their duty. They brought you into this world. And I know I just said it, but you're not alone, you're with us. All of us. We're a group, right? So we have to take care of each other... Even if they won't accept you, we still will. I... I still will..." Vriska bit her lip and squeezed his hand, but then pulled a daring move: she leaned up and got real close to his face...

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Lanos? I'm, uh... Sorry to interrupt, but I need that sword back, if it didn't break. I was going to go get it fixed up... You awake in there?"

Vriska cursed her luck as the snake bothered them, pulling her embarrassed self away and swearing under her breath.

Give me The Bill

"Then we'll take our bill and leave, if you would," he said to the server.

"Right away, sir." The server took his notes out of his pocket and reviewed them for a moment. "Your total will be seventy five gold, sir."

"Seventy fi--" Ingverd was taken aback for a moment, surprised that such a simple meal would cost them so much. So be it, then... "Alright, here you are." He produced the gold (emptying his pockets to do so) and sighed. The server made no mention of his comments, and simply took the gold, leaving them to their table. Ingverd cracked a half smile, and stood, holding a hand out for Valha to take. "Well... I'd say it was still worth it. Shall we?"

Dragons

"It's just something I figured out how to do, sitting behind the desk at work. I'm good with my hands, so it came pretty easily. As for horses, that's just something to keep me from going nuts in this place... Wait, d-did you say dragon?" She paused for a moment, before letting her eyes go wide at his statement. "Like, the one Troy owns at the arena, dragon!? You have your own? Wow!" She caught herself getting a bit loud, and quieted down. "How'd that happen? That's amazing... Could... Could you take me for a ride?" Flying was definitely more appealing than simply riding on an animal.

Tiny Girl

The man at the arena's entrance laughed as Maja placed her gold on the counter, and let her in. This wouldn't last long. Even Tim, the arena's weakest and first combatant felt bad that he was going to have to beat up someone so small... Oh well. It's a living.

Edited October 26, 2014 by I have opinions

[riariadne]

Oh, that's a lot... Valha felt slightly guilty at her silence as he paid, but not too guilty, taking his hand when he offered it. "Show me the way, then, if you will," she responded teasingly, waving childishly at Raith on the way out.

[algae]

The ghost's name is Kadin, and he knows the owner? Even if he didn't remember anything else, Sonia paid close attention to the conversation. The things he must have seen... Still, it was hard to miss the patch of color that just entered the ring. "That's her, right? Looks like she's going to start." She said, pointing toward the arena.

[Vestige]

"Aye, the very same. How'd we meet? Well, it was a bit of good luck, and being in the right place at the wrong time," he chuckled. "A couple of years ago, I was trekking through the Griberge mountains. You've heard stories of the wyverns that reside deeper into the mountains, yes? Well, having seen one up close, I can tell you--they're as every bit as monstrous as you might have heard them to be. It was a lone wyvern that wandered a bit too far out from its territory I suppose, but just my luck, it spotted me and decided I was to be on the menu for that day. Staring into the jaws of death, I hear a roar come out from somewhere, look over, and what do I see? None other than my savior of course, poised for battle. What a sight. I daresay I've never seen her as angry as that day, it was breathtaking. Just seeing two forces of nature duke it out--incredible. She managed to fend it off, but at the cost of her own life. She spiraled downwards, bleeding from various cuts and gashes. Fortunate for her, I'm a healer. Not that great--but it was enough to sustain her. I'd say we were even at that point, but somehow I guess I managed to convince her to follow me home. I got the bright idea that flying back would be fun-- scariest ride of my life," he laughed. "A ride? Sure, I don't see why not," he said. "As long as you're not scared of heights," he added.

[Xinnidy]

"I.. really hope she will just come back without a serious injury." Kadin sighed. He felt Maja would try something like that. "She should just enjoy her day. Not do these kind of things for me. I don't think she has an idea of how hard this will be. Perhaps the armored man will stop her before she gets over her head, true." He sighed. "I wish I could do that on my own, so she wouldn't have any crazy ideas."

After a short while, Kadin frowned when Sonia pointed out the next participant entering the arena --not to Sonia, but to the general direction of the arena entrance--. "Yes, there she is. We'll see how far she gets." There was a hint of regret in his tone. Maja, please take care of yourself. If only I could've...

----------------------------

Entering the arena, Maja took a deep breath. There was certainly some adrenaline kicking in. She hadn't been used to real combat at all. No, I've got to believe in the guard's training. I can do this, for Kadin!

Maja's entrance certainly created mixed messages in the arena. Her height was normal, but she wasn't built for fighting, and wore a... fantastically coloured attire. Some booing could be heard from the crowd. Maja had to tune herself off of that, though. She wasn't going to let that stop her.

Tim, the first to fight her, sighed as he met eyes with the girl. He might have been beaten again and again today, but what could this little girl even do? Her lance was barely imposing, too.

Noting his reluctance, Maja charged. It was the time to try out her new lance. If it was anything like it was described, then...

Pulling her magic akin to a staff, Maja struck Tim with a mixture of what she knew to do. The force caught the man offguard, whom found himself pierced by the lance through his torso. He fell.

The crowd shut their booing, that was something else.

As Tim got healed and left the arena, a man at the stands angrily shouted at him. "Dost thou even hoist?!" It seems Tim wasn't doing good performances today. The poor guy.

Next came in the swordsman James. Fast on his feet, he figured he could take Maja down with his speed. The girl certainly didn't look tough!

Maja struck first, counting on her lance's range. It hit James' shoulder, causing him to curse audibly as he brought down his sword. Maja was able to parry it with the rear end of the lance, and dealt another strike that brought the man down.

Next up was Eric the Keen, lanceman. He figured Maja's strength must be in her lance. Still, he was going to show her how a true lanceman fights, with his trusty steel lance! Unfortunately for him, she struck first and the pain caused him to lunge off-target. "How the fu-" He had no time to finish as the second strike brought him down. How unkeen.

The arena now realized the girl was serious about this.

And then came in Havel, the Rock. The infamous armored knight sporting a giant club. Would the girl have a chance against such beast of the battlefield?

Edited October 27, 2014 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Tristram watched in shock as the brightly clad girl from before made easy work of the first few enemies in the ring. "You two... three, she was with you, right? Did... did you know she was such a good fighter? I never would have guessed just from looking at her..."

[Oersted]

"And how exactly am I going to ask them anything? It's not like I can just march off to Cedric's manse and be like 'let me in I have business with Cedric' at this time of night." They probably wouldn't even let me in because I'm a harpy anyway. As Vriska explained that regardless of what his parents thought of him he'd still be a part of the mercenary group, which at the same time both worried and relieved him, his emotions started to settle down. It wasn't like anything was going to change because he knew who his parents were. So what if I know who my parents are, it's not like I'm just gonna quit mercenary life and run home to them. Vriska squeezing his hand brought him out of his thoughts and only now did he realize just how close her face was to his. Was she always that close... Wait, she's getting closer- He finally realized what was about to happen but made no move to resist it. Did that mean he 'liked' Vriska? And if he did, then what did he feel for Valha? It was so confusing. "Vriska you..." was all he could think to say.

The sudden knock on the door startled him and upon hearing it was Makin his initial internal reaction was oh gods she's come to finish me off even if he knew that it wasn't true. "Yeah, I'm coming," he answered Makin as he detached himself from Vriska, shooting her an apologetic look for some reason before heading over to the door. He only opened it enough to hand Makin the lancereaver, with his instincts telling him to stay away from her, even if they were wrong, he didn't want to unnecessarily risk his life. "Hey I know you already lent it to me but could I borrow it again tomorrow? I want a rematch with Marius and if he's going to use his lance I'll probably need that to win."

[Xinnidy]

It was time. Seeing the armored knight, Maja brought out the heaviest spear she'd used in her life. O-oh no. This is so unwieldy... She could only hope that the gigantic club was too heavy for the man to wield perfectly too.

As the battle started, Maja had to adapt herself to the lance's weight, she had to consider it part of her while moving and striking, deciding to go entirely two-handed.

Luckily, she still outsped the overequipped knight, striking just before he could raise his shield. The spear did its job and broke into the armor. Even Havel had to flinch at that.

Not for as long as Maja hoped, however. Havel brought his club down in a vertical swing, hitting the girl straight in the face. She was going to feel that one for a while.

Seeing stars and bleeding from nose and mouth, the girl grunted through the pain and rose the spear to strike while the knight was still lifting his club. Bingo. The knight did not recover well from the second blow, and kneeled on the floor. Making a sign to get the clerics. Maja had won.

It was nice to get the pain off of her head, but Maja felt her face was still stinging. She rubbed against her sleeve to wipe off some blood (at least her shirt was already red...). I should buy new clothes after this... Trying to regain her form and get ready to the next fight, she opted for the magical lance again. The heavy spear had already pulled its worth.

Next up went a mage, Marcus. He eyed the lance intently, and then boasted. "That's magic, I can take it!" He spoke too much, as Maja already charged at him while he spoke. Her first hit connected, and the man grunted but did not flinch as much as the others. His magical barrier had softened the blow. "I knew it!" He smiled upon his discovery and casted a wind spell back. It cut through her leg, but the girl had a decent magical defense of her own. "Tch." It was a battle of endurance, they traded blows once more, and then both were at the peak of their resilience. Maja struck again as Marcus charged his spell. He had faster reactions than her, but they were not enough to turn the tables. Marcus fell.

Taking a breath as she felt the healers doing their job, Maja could see the next opponent approach. Troy, a dragon rider. Just like Raith...

She charged again, it would be a tricky opponent to hit, but she knew dragons weren't the strongest against magic. Ignoring the dragon the best as she could, she managed to hit Troy's leg with a lunge. He had the dragon pull back in return, and then had it swoop in to try and take the girl out in one strike with his needle spear.

A shame that the needle spear is fairly slim. Troy narrowly missed Maja thanks to a timely sidestep, and she was able to counter by hitting his torso. Even Troy went down.

The crowd was unsure of what to think anymore.

Maja was glad she wasn't hit this time. It gave her more time to mentally recover from the past wounds. Regaining her form, she met the arena's final test --as far as the official challenge was concerned, of course--. Murray, horse rider extraordinaire (?).

Despite facing a mounted unit again, Maja didn't wait for him to close in, rather sticking to her usual strategy of "strike first, strike last". Her first hit connected, even Murray was surprised at the power she packed. Still, Murray caught her off-guard. To her surprise, he was much faster than she thought, dealing two sword cuts through her torso and chest before she could do anything about it. He retreated his sword, another challenger defeated.

He made a fatal error.

Maja held her breath and struck him last, enduring her pain. She was still just not knocked out. Murray paid the price as she jumped in a final lunge. He was knocked off his horse. The crowd cheered.

-----------------

Kadin's eyes widened for a moment as the man addressed them. He was in full view. Oops. Trying not to make a ruckus and causing more than the keen observes to notice, he mustered some of his composure back and looked at the man. "I... no, I wasn't expecting that, either. It's some display."

Maja kept going, too. Every time she was hit, Kadin felt like gripping the stands harder (slightly failing). Maja, please be more careful! What was worse was how she was actually winning. She was really going to go through with this. "I... I can't believe it." Kadin blurted out.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Xinnidy

[scorri]

Trist whistled quietly as the girl managed to beat the two opponents he'd declined to fight. "She's a regular rainbow terror out there... It appears I'm being shown up, quite handily."

[Refa]

"Yeah, you've got the gist of it. We'll be leaving in a day or two though," Quincy replied to the blacksmith. "Sure, here you go," he said, giving the elf half of the payment upfront. His business done, he decided to visit the arena again before getting something to eat. Because he was entering as a spectator this time instead of as a combatant, Quincy went up to the stands. The current fighter breezed past the cavalier who Quincy hadn't even attempted to challenge; it was better than even he could do, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Oh well, probably wasn't worth remembering anyways. He noticed the archer from earlier with some...other people (it was at this moment that Quincy realized that he didn't know the identities of most of the members of the mercenary group he was in, and would inevitably greet some random stranger down the line only to find out they had nothing to do with the group because of his ignorance) nearby, so he walked over to where they were. "Hey, wasn't that the last fighter? Does that mean she's getting an award or something?" He said nonchalantly.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Refa