A Riptide Is Comming... (Open!)

[Anonymous]

Why she did this to herself, she would never know.

Maybe she hated herself. It was certainly a good explanation. It was a really good explanation, now that she thought about it. It would explain why she was hanging so close to the edge of human civilization, why she lingered in the shallow water, watching the reflections of fire dance in the surface above her. Watching the ones who had caused her so much misery in her existence. Watching them.

Humans. Laughing, smiling, cheering humans. Humans waving fire in torches. Humans greeting each-other, hugging and kissing. Everything that she had now been denied.

Her lips bared back to reveal sharp teeth, tail flicking the water agitatedly. The waves lapped along her back, pressing against her dorsal fin. Hands sunk into the soft sands, claw-like nails digging further and further. Humans. They were the reason she was here, stuck. Never could she venture so far into the ocean again, not while this curse afflicted her, making her cling to land like a desperate child who clings to a piece of driftwood, never wanting to get sucked far out into the sea. This curse that forced her to be one of them, for days at a time, burning underneath their harsh sun, her tongue twisting on harsh words, and her strange limbs buckling, unused to bearing a weight they were never meant to.

But for now, she was not. Her powerful muscles rippled along her tail, gills pulsating in the water, taking sweet breaths in a place that most find inhospitable. The chain mail that hung over her chest, the relic from some fallen knight, fluttered around her small torso. How good it felt to be in the ocean. But how much were her days numbered. Her black eyes darted to the moon hanging above her, fat and round. Only a sliver was gone. Tomorrow, she would be denied the ocean's watery embrace. Tomorrow, she would be forced among them.

Finally, she pushed back from the beach, puffing sand around her. She carried her trident in her left hand, a weapon four feet long with three lethal prongs. It was her comfort, the only thing that remained of her past life. Living her family legacy... Neptune. How noble and wonderful. Something that gave her a purpose.

And now? Now, she had none. Just anger. Anger that drove her onward. That made her fear and loathe these humans that ruined her life.

Her tail cut through the water, the dorsal fin slipping above the surface once, before she swam, the swift current plastering her white hair against her face.

It was night. It was time to hunt. Her lips split into a demonic grin, serrated teeth gleaming.

It was time to feed.

[Anonymous]

Just another night wasn't it?

This time he wasn't exactly sure where he had ended up. No...no he WISHED he could do that. It must have been easy for humans. They could get drunk, hop onto a boat, stay drunk the entire time and then sober up at the end and wonder where they had got there. He didn't have that bloody luxury. No he was cursed to be sober all the time, and that was just...an unfair thing. He drank, he drank, and he drank, but no matter how much he put away he still was sober. It was originally meant to prevent him from not being distracted from his job but....

Here he didn't have that need.

"Balls!" The rough voice cut out over the somewhat quiet night, over the lapping waves of the ocean. The man was strange, he was foreign, in all sense of the words. He didn't look like someone from the island, and he didn't really look like someone from the mainland either. He looked...different. It was hard to put a finger on what exactly made him different. It might have been his strong jaw, his broad shoulders, his really bronzed skin, and the missing eye...but it was his general attitude perhaps. He strode along the beach like a man with too much power and not a fear to use it either.

His large boots made rather distinct imprints in the sand as he walked along the shore, a small barrel in one finger-less gloved hand. Ugh...he really wished that this stuff worked. The barrel had a large seven inch knife stuck into it, and he pulled it free to take a swig from the barrel. His left eye socket was covered with a black leather patch, one that had a string on top and a string on the bottom to keep it securely in place. He was tired of having people tell him to cover up the empty socket, so he made sure to get one that wouldn't fall off. His other eye was just...he should have gotten a second eye patch. People were usually unnerved by the fact he had no iris or pupil, but a simple hangman noose silhouette instead.

He drained the small wooden barrel and put the knife away in his belt. With a belch he suddenly threw the barrel with all his might at the ocean, watching the thing float and bob...mocking him somehow. The man reached up and readjusted the worn brown fedora on his head and scowled angrily. The man's face was scarred, well, his whole body was too but thanks to the clothes he wore the rest of the scars on his body were hidden. Not that he really wanted to, he liked his scars, they were badges of honour, they showed every fight he had won.

He looked back to the ocean, back to that bobbing...mocking...barrel and he waded into the sea toward it. He got up to his waist and took his knife from his belt once more. With a quick movement his knife sailed quickly through the air, sinking into the barrel and causing it to sink. Bloody hell! First he decides to go to this rather backward island, and now he ends up losing his good knife!

And...what the hell was that in the water? He swore he had just seen a fin pop up above the water. A shark? It'd been a while since he'd fought a shark! Now if he could get it to come at him...he started to splash his hands in the water. Movement was supposed to attract them right?

[Anonymous]

Her swimming was effortless. One small flick of her tail was enough to let her body coast through the warm waters, her being streamlined to waste as little energy as possible while she swam. Less energy exerted, so when she decide to hunt, all of her energy could be focused into hunting, into tearing her prey to small ribbons.

Something jarred all of her senses just as she was about to head to deeper water. Something had broke the surface of the otherwise placid ocean, bobbing. Sekhet turned on a dime, her eyes narrowed at the wooden barrel which bobbed in the ocean.

Humans. All of them were vile creatures. Throwing their trash and shit into the ocean... they didn't care about anyone except themselves.

The liquid around her resonated with the sound of bootsteps. Clomping, ungainly, ungraceful bootsteps. Splashing. Every instinct was on high alert, the sound of a wounded creature struggling in the water bringing her closer, until her belly scraped sand and her fin cut through the surface, baring it to the chilly night air.

A human. Drunk, he appeared. Stomping toward the litter that he had put in the water himself. She bared her teeth again as he flung a knife into the barrel. Was this a challenge? Did he dare to tangle with her? His image on the surface was rippled, distorted- the most she could make out was that he was a man, and had an eye covered by a patch. Good! He was blinded on one side. She could get away without him noticing, if she stuck to that side...

Just as she was about to turn and go back, more ripples echoed through the water. She spun, her eyes narrowing, as this idiotic human splashed about like a dying seal. For a second, anger blazed within her. Did this human realize he could be killed?!

And then... the grin reappeared on her face.

He wanted a fight.

She tightened the grip on her trident, and backed away from the sand slightly, floating. How much she had ached for a good fight. And if she had killed the human... well. It was just a part of her job, wasn't it?

Her whole body relaxed. And then, she charged, her tail slamming the water, propelling her forward at a speed which was exhilarating. She bared her teeth, and then thrust her trident in front of her, aiming for the man's legs.

Just wait until he realized that what he decided to mess with wasn't his fisherman's shark.

[Anonymous]

It was all going to be about reflexes, and who had the faster ones.

He was a quick man, there were few who could match those reflexes...few humanoids anyway. But this was a shark wasn't it? They weren't known for the best of reflexes...they were known for being great hunters though. This wasn't one of the big ones though, they appeared from below and ate them that way as a quick surprise. No way something was going to be below him in this water level! So he would at least have the upper hand when it came that.

But would he even get the attention of this shark? He was in shallow water, even for a shark. Would it dare risk beaching itself for a meal as tough as he? The answer of course was obvious when he saw that fin again for just a moment, piercing the ocean surface to tell him that it was indeed going to be time for a fight.

Stupid shark.

Something however caught in the light. Something very wrong with the charging. shark. His eye cut away the ocean depths only to find that what was charging at him, wasn't just a shark. It wasn't just a shark at all! The damn thing was a person...that just looked like a shark...bit of a looker too...but the bitch had a trident! His mind had to work fast, because she was moving just as quickly. The best thing for him to do however would be simple...simple and a little unfair, but she was using a weapon. That wasn't fair either. He let some small threads of power form around his legs, amplifying his muscles as he crouched. He'd have to be stronger for this, and a bit of magic was his only hope.

His muscles tensed as he crouched, and just as she got to the right point he jumped! It must have been a strange sight to anyone watching, seeing a man suddenly leap from the water as a shark approached. But his intent wasn't to escape. Oh no, that would be cowardice. Instead it was to come down on the trident's nice flat surface, and drive her weapon straight into the sand bed below with his weight!

Sometimes he thought himself too clever for his own good. He figured if he missed, he'd land on her, and he'd still have most of the advantage. Having a wrestler's feet near your head and face was just as bad as having their arms near your stomach and chest.

[Anonymous]

Oh, she could almost taste it. His surprise. How these humans never saw it coming... All of them thought that mermaids were pretty little things, pretty little things with fins that sang and sang. They never saw a mermaid that had teeth, a mermaid who knew the taste of blood in her mouth and who was trained all her life to fight. And now, she craved it. Her nostrils widened to inhale the sweet scent of the man's lifeforce, her body crying out for the taste of flesh... Hell, the man was crouching, ready to give up. Every muscle sang in the victory she knew she had. A fighter's spirit that never heard the word "lost".

But something happened, something she failed to predict. The man leapt out of the water, and came crashing down on the flat of her trident. Sekhet screeched as the trident was torn away from her grasp, wrenched from her fingers, and buried into the soft, unyielding sand of the beach. Her weapon, suddenly gone, all by a bloody human that could jump! But oh no, never would she give up. Animal instinct and training came easily to her, as easy as breathing.

This was a fight.

As he landed, she lashed again, trashing her tail to bring her further to the surface, clawed hands grasping for his legs. And she propelled herself forward, an audible "click" as her jaw unhinged to reveal rows and rows of serrated teeth. And she launched, snapping, hoping that her teeth would sink into the yielding flesh of the man's leg, waiting for the taste of flesh and blood in her mouth.

[Anonymous]

It hadn't been graceful, it hadn't bee complicated, but it made up for it in success at least. While he really didn't want to break out the magic so early in the game, he had no choice. He liked his legs, they were always better off not being skewered by a giant fork. If she hadn't decided to bring the damn thing into a fight, he wouldn't have had to resort to such a cheap tactic but...

That was life wasn't it?

If she couldn't adapt...then she'd die. That was the law wasn't it? The law of gravity and physics was on his side for the most part as he came down, exerting all that weight and pressure. The trident sunk smoothly into the ground below him. He swore that he could have heard the strange merthing cry out at that! Good! It served her right really. However, it left him a little off balance, but as she let go he came down to pin the thing straight into the sand.

Something had grabbed at his legs though, he presumed it was her...and something was still coming at him. With a shark, this would have been easy. Damn sharks didn't have a really flexible body, they were all stuck in one direction. She however, was part human...and she was doing something stupid. She was biting him. He only could be grateful that he at least had worn some thick clothing, but there was still pleasure shooting up his leg. Ah...that was the best. It was like electricity running through his body...it made his heart race and beat fast...and it made him excited. This was as good as any screw!

The man just decided to let himself crouch a little bit as she sunk her teeth into him, his arms diving into the water and trying to find their way around her body. If she wanted to play like this, he could play like this. If he managed to get his arms around her, he'd start squeezing, but first he had to hope he could catch her.

[Anonymous]

More anger boiled inside of her as her keepsake weapon sank into the sand. These bloody humans! Nothing was sacred to them! And that trident, that weapon, was the only thing she was allowed to bring from her home, even if the weapon was tainted by her existence. It was her weapon, it felt good in her hands, and no human was going to take away the only link she had left of her kingdom.

His blood tasted sweet in her mouth, and his flesh was juicy, tender, though... there was something almost off-putting about it. But she didn't let that distract her. She had prey in her jaws, and her eyes rolled back up into her skull, to protect that delicate part of her body. Jaw pressure increased, pounds per square inch as she bit down, harder and harder, her teeth slicing through his skin and muscle as blood poured into her mouth. How delicious it was, and every small taste gave her energy, ignited the predator inside of her.

But something was wrong with this human. Instead of struggling, as she had expected, he was reaching deeper into the water, and grabbing her. Her tail writhed in his grasp, thrashing and slashing, the sandpaper skin of her scales scrapping against the exposed fingertips of his gloves. She wrenched her jaws away, taking away flesh in her mouth, and twisted her body, turning in a u as her hands grasped at his arms, claws sinking into his clothing. Her jaws snapped again, attempting to slice through clothing and into the meat of his arm as her tail squirmed and thrashed in his grip, the fin attempting to slam his hands away, or his face, anything to buffer him, as she scrabbled with her hands, trying to tear skin and clothing away. She wouldn't give up.

[Anonymous]

There was a lot going on that it was almost too hard to follow. When he fought, he usually picked a specific thing to work on...but this was no ordinary fight. This was in the water, and it wasn't his home turf...it was hers...and that wasn't EVERY a good thing now was it? He couldn't exactly even the odds easily...but he would keep fighting. He could die here sure...and judging from the electric shocks of pleasure running up his leg, he very well might have that happen.

Thank the Gods he had been given good healing abilities.

However his leg was very much giving out on him quickly. It'd heal in a couple hours, but for now it would no doubt become very dead for the next little while. Shit. Maybe he should have kept his knife...or pulled out one of the other various knives he kept on his person. Not to mention he was just feeding her blood, that couldn't be good. Sharks went crazy for blood, and with someone this vicious, he would be surprised if she wasn't getting something from that.

She was struggling now, his hands lit up with the delight of pleasure as she thrashed and wriggled in his grip. It wouldn't work to grab her now, more so as she was starting to try and grab at his arm to stop him. He let himself fall onto one knee, his bad knee, hoping to pin her now that she was in a more advantageous position. Then he got to doing the thing that he knew second best: Punching. One hand would swat hers away, and with him above her and his knee hopefully pressing on what he hoped was her, he'd be able to start getting in some rather good shots.

His upper body would twist, his arm would extend and sink into the water toward his foe...and it would retract out of the water only to sink back into it once more. His rage fuelled him, as did his lust from the pleasure wracking his body. His fist cut through the water toward his foe, and he would continue his vicious assault, hoping that he was at least connecting with this attacks.

How foolish would it be if he were kneeling in water, bleeding profusely, punching the ocean instead of his foe?

[Anonymous]

His blood was frothing in the ocean, and the flesh that disappeared down her gullet only egged her on further. Animal instinct was taking her over, combining with her training to make her a deadly creature, fueled by the base need to fight, to survive, to win. Some disgusting, filthy human, now bleeding in the salt water that coaxed the blood out of his body, was going to be no match for her. And he had literally fed her. Everyone knew you don't feed sharks, unless you want them to attack.

But then he fell, and his knee pinned her wriggling body into the sand, her powerful muscle and sinew rendered useless. Her scream tore through her throat as she struggled violently, trying to free herself. Being beached was the worst position for any creature of the ocean. It rendered them helpless, defenseless. Most animals would go into a panic, beach themselves further. It was this thinking that she forced herself to stop, relaxing her muscles, keeping herself from thrashing. She could just see his watery form pulling back his fist, and she knew what was coming next was going to hurt.

His first punch connected with her collarbone, and she gave out a gasp of pain, stars behind her eyes. And then his second punch hit her sternum, and she snarled, something primal tearing out of her throat as pain laced around her ribcage.

She had a last defense, and now was her time to use it.

As he pulled back, she closed her eyes, and lashed out with her hand, aiming for his throat. But something built around her, water raising above her, spinning faster and faster. A waterspout, and it went straight for his face, attempting to distract him enough to fall backwards, to release her.

[Anonymous]

((Eeehehehehe, this is so fun! x3 For a fight of course! I rarely do them, and I hope it isn't too confusing xD))

His eye had to do a quick search around him, just in case he found himself facing more of these bloody beasts. His blood was in the water, and some things could smell that for miles. He didn't want to have to fight more of these...well...at the minute he felt like he could take on an army of them. His muscles were surging with power, his body was filled with endorphins, but it wasn't like he needed them, he didn't really feel pain unless it was life threatening.

Right now though, his body was telling him that it was quite alright.

While his ploy sort of worked, he really wished he'd gotten the full upper hand on her. Getting the upper knee and the upper fist on her was just about as good, but he really had wanted to life the bitch out of the water and slam her down onto her head. He had never pile-drivered a person in the water, at least not with the hope to hurt. How much could that be with all that sand though? Still. Woulda been at least interesting, considering she probably weighed a little bit. He'd have to measure her later, but he was almost sure she was at least nine feet long.

Each time his fist connected he felt a wave of satisfaction flow through him. It was sweet to know that something was at least working in his favour. She stood no chance about this, especially being forced down like she was. Of course, he didn't count on her next little move. Her slashing arm was simply allowed to graze along his arm as he brought up in his defence. However, something else was coming right at him too, and it wasn't something he could block that easy. A great burst of water shot up at him, and he stared straight into the water spout as it did so, but the force knocked him backwards. The only thing he could think to do was to bring his other leg out, trying to sweep it underwater and aim a kick for her. Hopefully the head to daze her, but as he felt himself falling into the water he really just hoped it would connect anywhere.

[Anonymous]

((This is fun, and no way is it confusing! One of the better fights I've gotten to roleplay!))

Perhaps later she would reflect on the fact that this human certainly had some fortitude behind him. She had taken a nice chunk out of his leg, he was bleeding in the water which means that blood clotting is tricky at the best (not to mention attracting more predators) and yet he was still fighting her. He either had a great will to live, or he was one of the most stupid humans that Sekhet had the absolute misfortune to come across. The worst part was that he was actually hurting her, landing hits on her and causing her pain. The only thing she was grateful for was the conditioning to pain she had received from both her training and her curse, that she was able to fight through it and continue her attacks. It didn't help her on the one day, her last day, but now, she was only protecting herself.

While she felt a flash of frustration as her slash caught nothing more than the clothing on his arm and not on the soft flesh of his jugular, something did work for her. The water spout she had sent had knocked him backwards, her tail lashed as she was freed from the sand, power returning to her. Once again, she wasn't helpless, about to be beached. However, she was still weaponless.

She turned to the side as her hands brushed the sand, and she didn't realize the kick was coming for her until it was too late. The side of his foot connected with her shoulder, sending her sideways, knocking her away from her trident that was just inches away from her fingers. She groaned without meaning to, but her tail gave one flick and she was back to reaching for her trident. There were a few dizzying seconds where she felt nothing at all, and then...

There! Stone! Sekhet roared as her hand clasped her trident, and with one yank she brought it forth from the sand, and swung her weapon with all her might, aiming for him, for any part of him. One hit that would strike him further into the water, into her realm, and there she could finish him off, and end this fight once and for all.

[Anonymous]

((Whew! That's good to know on all accounts! This may be my last post before bed xD))

She wasn't fighting a human. Oh no. He might have been a human at one point, but he had burned all of that away long ago in the fires of war, of justice, of slavery and freedom. He was a Savaros through and through, and they were far greater than humans. Already his leg had at least stopped bleeding for the most part, there might have been a trickle but the blood vessels had started to seal themselves up. He'd had worse, the flesh would regrow, which might be a bit confusing for the shark girl. That would show the bitch though, she might actually be scared to know that she was fighting something that could regenerate himself. Granted, if he wasted all his energy on doing that, he'd sap his strength for fighting. Best to just...let it happen as naturally as possible.

At least he had managed to stop her from ending this too quickly. He'd had his throat slit before, but not by anyone who wanted him dead right away. If he had that happen here, he was going to be in real trouble. That would have to be avoided at all costs. Unlike his foot, which solidly connected with something thankfully. It didn't appear to be her head sadly enough, because she was still moving around down there. He tried to take a breather, his form barely finding itself against sand and rock as he saw something coming straight for him again.

That god damn trident! He braced himself as she came at him, his lightning reflexes moving to grab the deadly weapon's outer prongs. This would not be the problem though. The problem was when he hit solid ground. Instead of going backwards however, he was headed more down thanks to her damn angle. Again he took a deep breathe as he was driven downward. Though it really wasn't far at all, he still found himself with both hands against the trident, trying to hold the shark woman from stabbing him. All he had to do was not run out of air though...and with her bearing down on him, trident so close to his belly, he had to do something fast. Getting a better grip on the middle tine of the trident with one hand, his other came up and he aimed a jab of his finger straight at her face, looking to perhaps gouge and eye.

That worked with sharks after all, why not shark people?

[Anonymous]

((XD No problem! I understand people sleep. I, ah, should be getting to bed as well, but heeey, who knows!))

There was something that was off putting about this whole fight, and it was when she fully looked into the water that she realized what it was.

The lack of blood. Her eyes went wider as she realized... the son of a bitch was healing himself! Her breath caught in her lungs as this epiphany came crashing down on her. A thousand possibilities came to mind. Magic, the kind that humans knew of... She might have been fighting a mage. Cursewords exploded from her. Gods dammit! Of course she was fighting the only human who could heal himself! If she had him bleeding fully in the ocean... well, stamina wouldn't be a concern. But now it was. The blood and flesh had energized her, but not enough to fight a man who could regenerate himself to the death. It was a magic unknown to her kind, or at least to this extent.

The short breather that both of them had caught was enough to reset her priorities. She was going to have to drag this man, mage, whatever he may be, down into the water, and fast. He might regrow limbs, but Sekhet doubt that he could make air with a lack of gills.

Thankfully, her attack with her trident seemed to connect, somewhat. At any rate, he was off his precious land, driving back down to her realm, where he wasn't in power, in full control. However, his hands were on her trident, gripping at the tines as if they were his lifeline. She was going to prove him wrong. She pulled the trident back and thrust, trying to get the sharpened tines to connect to something, to yank at more of his flesh. Her tail beat the water as she began pressing him downward, deeper into the water.

But then he did something which caught her off-guard. His hand came up, and before she realizing it, her eye was jabbed, forced back into her head. It rolled upward, and she howled in pain, stabbing blindly with her trident, her tail thrashing as she tried to sink him deeper and deeper. Survival was kicking in, and Sekhet was starting to wonder if fighting was really such a great decision.

[Anonymous]

((Yeah, we love to sleep don't we? Damn us and our...need for sleep.))

This was just a very interesting night, wasn't it?

He really wished now that he was drunk for it actually. No...no he really wanted to remember this actually. Because there was no telling what could happen at this point. She was a great god damn fighter after all...and if only she was a little more human...that might be fun. Well hell, she still had a mouth right? If he avoided the teeth he might be safe.

There was a little bit of rubbing against his stomach. He could feel the trident tines rubbing and smacking against his stomach, occasionally piercing the skin and tearing at his clothes. This wasn't bad though...she hadn't managed to get through the muscle or anything like that. Thank the Gods he worked out and managed to get a bit of muscle on it. He never thought it would have saved his life but...it had apparently.

The man had wished that he had been in a better position...but at least they weren't in deep water. They were in somewhat of his world...but he had to get her more to his damn it! He held onto the damn weapon though and started to get his bearing. This was hopefully going to be what won him this stupid match. Well that and poking in her eye seemed to have worked. He decided to just....see what happened with a rather bold move. She stabbed and stabbed at him, and he managed to prevent any harm but...when she pulled away again, he let go, and this time used both hands to kick himself through the water out of the way of the trident.

Now it would get interesting, because as she thrashed her tail and propelled herself forward, she would no doubt somewhat zip past him...and that would allow him to grab hold of her and start squeezing for all he was worth. His plan was to try and trap her arms at her side...that always hurt, having your own arms crushed up against her. Now he just had to hope that his arms got around her and stayed around her.

[Anonymous]

((xD Damn sleep indeed... But hey, at least this topic stays~ These two are quite a match for each-other.))

A small sense of satisfaction cascaded over her as she felt her trident connecting with parts of his stomach. She, unfortunately wasn't skewering him like a fish, as was her intention, but at least she was leaving marks. And there was blood in the water. Her nostrils widened to take in the scent of the substance, proving her with a sliver of energy. But it wasn't anything to restore what energy she had already lost. She could feel it seeping out of her with every fin stroke, every slash of her trident. She wasn't meant to be a stamina fighter. Her style had been to attack ruthlessly and then wait for her prey to die. It was what her bloodline was known for-- slow, painful deaths. Sekhet could only be grateful for the fact that she could drag fights out when needed, but the fact that they weren't in deeper water, where she could swim away and come back later, was taking its toll. Her gills fluttered furiously on her neck, extracting as much oxygen as possible. The muscles along her tail burned with fatigue, but she had to continue, if she had any chance of getting out of this at all.

She was still half-blinded, her right eye smarting as it was rolled back into her skull, forcing her left eye to do the same. All she knew was that she had to keep dragging the man downward, down to the watery depths from whence she came. She swam forward, powerful strokes of her tail keeping them angled downward so the sand would no longer be on his feet, where he struggled and choked on water. She jabbed blindly with her weapon, trying to use its reach to her advantage. Anything to drag him deeper.

But this was a clever man, and when she had pulled back and launched, he had swam for the surface again, kicking off her. She had no way to decelerate, and a flick of her tail sent her sailing past him. Panic engulfed her for a second, and she spun, trying to locate him.

But he located her. Hands wrapped around her arms, torso, pressing her elbows into her own ribcage. A scream tore from her throat as she thrashed in his grasp, smacking blindly with her tail.  She wasn't going to die like this! She wasn't going to die at the hands of a human!

[Anonymous]

(((Where would the topic have gone? It wouldn't just leave us would it?! That'd be terrible!)))

His only hope was that he could outlast her. His stamina was incredibly difficult to drain, but he supposed that this was doing it quite well. Fighting in the water, where your movements were a little more difficult, and you had lost a bit of blood, muscle and flesh as well...your body was trying to regenerate such things but...all of that was taking a bit out of him. But as long as his heart and adrenaline were pumping, he wasn't going to lose this. He'd snap his own neck before he let her kill him. A bit extreme, but losing to a fish wasn't exactly high on his priority list.

And now they were on somewhat even grounds. Of course, her being blinded helped to make things a bit more fair. Granted she still had a weapon, but at least he was used to having one eye, while she would be thrown for a little loop. Her depth perception might get a little messed up in a few hours if she had to keep her eye closed but...the fight wasn't going to last that long he hoped.

If it did he was going to need to get more air.

Luckily one of his attacks finally was paying off. He was rather happy for that, and despite her thrashing, he found his footing finally, and within seconds he was popping out of the water with her, gasping loudly as he finally could suck down some sweet air, all the while holding onto the thrashing mer-girl. Despite everything, he didn't want to kill her. She was a worthy foe, even for a cheater. However he couldn't just let her go. He needed something first. "Quit strugglin' you bitch!" He muttered angrily as he held onto her tightly, his feet digging into the sand. "Say I've won! SAY I'VE WON AND YOU LIVE!" He growled loudly as he gave her a hard squeeze, hoping that he'd be able to get her attention to some degree.

[Anonymous]

((It would be horrible! So, so horrible! And sorry for the wait, I got caught up doing stuff for the parents!))

Panic began to seize her insides, despite her better training. This man was an extremely worthy opponent, one that matched her prowess, and was even bettering her in some aspects. She wasn't so prideful as to think her the best fighter out there. There was so much of the world she had yet to see, so many creatures, magic, things that she had no knowledge of. But now, this man had the advantage.

A shrill cry tore out of her throat as she was ripped away from her oxygen, her gills pulsating uselessly in the land that she hated. She thrashed, even though it took away her breath, trying to struggle out of his grip. But her face contorted in pain as he pressed her sides, crushing her ribcage, her elbows slammed against her thin torso.

But never would she give in. She glared at him at his words, her black eyes unblinking, even if the last of the life-giving water was draining from her neck, even if her tail's beating was slowing. Admitting defeat, when she already had to... Never would she admit defeat to another human.

She snarled at him, bearing her teeth, and her tail thrashed the water again as she tried to struggle. It was her last stand. It all depended on how much she valued her life, or her pride.

[Anonymous]

((Hey! It's all good eh? We're on a forum! As you said the post will still be here! So don't worry! Though I must say I'm enjoying this far too much for my own good xDD))

He wouldn't deny it, he was only better because he was superior. That wasn't even arrogance talking either, that was...well that was just the truth. His body was MEANT for this sort of stuff. It was meant to keep fighting until the bitter end, no matter, to repair itself and to fight and avoid death at all costs. However,  it was also all the training he had done, all the fighting he had experienced, all the life he had lived that definitely put him over the top.

But he respected this shark thing, despite her bringing a trident to a wrestling match.

He could see that being out of water wasn't working for her all that well. He should have figured that really. How fragile she was right now...how fragile she was at any point. Those gills were her lungs, and they were on the outside. If he gave them a quick punch...she might die. Yet for someone so fragile, she wore no armour to protect those vital spots.

"Oh no! You're NOT getting away! Not after you chewed my leg you bitch." He snarled as he pulled her a bit further inland. He switched up his grip as she thrashed, he even stumbled slightly as his bad leg got slapped by what he assumed was her tail. He moved to having just one arm around her body, her arms now free as his other hand quickly moved around her neck. It wasn't to kill however, he was placing strange blue ribbons that leaked from his fingertips around her neck. He wound quickly, his leg now throbbing and weak, barely able to keep himself steady as he gave one last tug of the ribbons, and suddenly water formed around her gills in a strange collar almost, allowing her to breathe.

"Now calm down or I'll body slam you onto the shore and fight your fishy ass there!"

[Anonymous]

((XDD So am I~ These two are a match for each-other! I soo thought that Nexus wasn't going to have any respect for her, so this is a very pleasant surprise.))

Her desperation to escape, to survive, was getting the better of her training. Panic was starting to override her rationality, and fear. She couldn't die like this! She couldn't die on the shore of a human land, still wearing the skin of her species. She couldn't die at the hands of a scarred human, whose strange eye tracked her movements, the symbol of a human death etched into it. He wouldn't be the dictator of her fate.

A small bout of triumph echoed inside of her as her tail slapped on his bad leg, causing the man to stumble. But her throat closed on her strangled cry as he kept his arm around her, yet it was only... one? Her hands were free. She flexed her fingers experimentally, circulation returning down her arms. Immediately she wasted no time in grabbing his arms, her mouth open in a silent scream as her claws tore at his arms, trying to get them to release. Her tail drug across the sand as he pulled her inland, even though she still tried to thrash, pushing sand around them, the strange duo.

But then... something strange was happening with his hands. Blue tendrils of energy sprang from them, forming around her throat. For a second, her life flashed before her eyes, and she thought this might actually be the end. Her claws sunk deeper into his sleeves, searching for skin. And then...

... She was breathing?

Her gills expanded and she took in a choking breath, spluttering, as oxygen raced down to her burning lungs. She was hyperventilating, attempting to get as much of this oxygen as possible, from this strange collar around her throat. It felt like she was revitalized, though her energy was all but gone. And all this... from a human? What was he doing trying to save her?

His words finally made it to Sekhet's brain, overriding the survival instinct. And so, she stopped struggling, though her hands were still on his arms as a means for support. Her eyes were wide open, even if salty tears strained from the one that he had jabbed.

She simply looked at him, blinking.

Humans. They never failed to amaze her in their sheer insanity.

[Anonymous]

((Hah hah yeah, I wasn't sure how it would go but...a great fighter is always respected! If you can deal serious threat and harm to him, you can  believe that he'll have some respect for ya, no matter the gender xD))

What one may have failed to realize, was that the man that held her was not a bringer of death. Not always. The hangman's noose was both literal and figurative for him. It was a symbol of justice though. The wicked were hanged, the wrongly accused saw themselves freed, and the victims who's very lives were choked and oppressed would no longer be shackled. Of course, he did sometimes hang people but that was a different point all together. It was sometimes poetic justice.

He would be the one to decide her fate, and at this time...her fate was sealed. She would live, if only because of the impressive skills that she displayed against him. Still, he could feel a small victory, because despite being out of his element...he had still managed to get the upper hand...to some degree.

Though she slashed and hacked at his thick clothes, he was thankful to have worn them so that he could work his magic. The greater good would be worth any wound he sustained from her. Besides, it would just be more scars for him, and that was fine by him. He tried not to think of the large one that would be on his leg...his only hope that it would heal with only the outline of having been bitten.

After all had been said and done though, she thankfully stopped herself. She seemed to have understood his language, which was good, but he could always...acquire it if need be. She stopped thrashing about and trying to claw at him, now more holding onto him as she stared at him. Good. His hand came up to her face, more toward the back of her head. "Good, because I always wanted to do this." Suddenly his lips were against her own in a rough kiss. One could feel a raw power placed behind it as pressed against her own thin lips. He decided not to try and get his tongue into her mouth, she was surprised already and didn't feel like losing it to her sharp teeth. He did however run it quickly along hers, to get a taste, and as quickly as their rough kiss began, he broke it off to lick his lips. "Doesn't taste like fish...never woulda thought."