Dueling Shadows [Vigilant Shadows Members]

[Zane]

Atlas rose from a surprisingly restful sleep after a night at the Moonlit Gin and Tonic, and even more surprising was the absence of a slamming migraine from a night of drinking. The small creature curled up into his gut was probably the reason for this. He reached a hand out and gently pat her head. Vixen yipped in response to her master's touch, the fox shadow had indeed prevented a hangover, she hated to see him in any kind of pain. "Morning girl," he spoke softly.

Removing himself from the bed, he walked across his small room to dress. Atlas had only been a Shadow Ranger for seven years. and while he had quite a bit of gold and favors saved up from missions and tasks, he was still short from being able to buy the house in Tower District, the richest and most well put together of all the three districts that made up the Clockwork City. It was were the Shadow King, Shadow Master, and Dark Mothers were lodged, as well as really well of Rangers, the ones that were chosen for the most important tasks. If the Clockwork City were a great nation, to live in the Tower District was much akin to being assigned to the Kings Court. But for now, he stayed in the Ranger's Barracks in the Shade District.

Now fully dressed, Atlas attached his chakrams onto the hooks on his back and set out for the day, Vixen right on his heels. In the Twilight Plaza, where used to be an ornate fountain, there was a stone platform. On top of which stood the Master Shadow, Alucard Leohalt, and the Shadow King, Koraq Nauticus. They weren't interacting with the crowd that was forming on the ground around the large circle platform, they were waiting for something. Atlas looked down at Vixen, "Well I guess I know what we are doing today" and he went to join the crowd.

[Codestar7]

Keltros had just stumbled upon the Shadows, a group he thought fit his personality. He had just left an adventure with a fledgling thief and a barbaric ork. He needed a rest from the reality of thieving. He had joined the group, and with it, obtained vast powers yet unbeknownst to him till he realised his full potential, the reward of joining the Vigilant Shadows.

He had arrived in Clockwork City that day, and already he could tell he was going to have fun. There, on a podium, was two men. The man to his left was talking to his comrade. "What are the Shadow King, and the Master doing?" He pondered to his friend, gazing at the two figures. So. They were very important. Keltros relaxed, and waited for something to happen.

[Wicked Basket]

Jacob had been one of the first to arrive before the platform where his superiors now stood. It was important to be prompt, lest you miss something important. The pair had not said anything yet though. They were probably still waiting for all of the other Rangers to arrive. Jacob spoke to no one, and no one spoke to him. That's just the way things were. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, and he never had time for friends anyway. Service to the Shadows was far more important than a social life. Jacob watched the Shadow King and Master Shadow, patiently waiting for them to speak.

[Anadwen]

Ticking. Ticking of a large clock. It was the only sound that could be heard in Amlan's room... And it was a silent sound, too. Very silent.

It was a wonder that he woke up on time, yawning and stretching his arms as he rose from his bed like an oversized pupped, still somewhat stiff. He blinked into the light, and stepped out, lazily dressing up. The hawk, perched on a stick by the window, squawked and gave him a curious look, as if greeting him good morning.

This room... It was full of cobwebs and dust. Even though it was in the Tower District, the richest part of the Clockwork City, Amlan rarely slept there, and it was furnished scarcely. He was a traveler, after all.

His hands pulled a loose black shirt over his head, and one raked through his hair, encircling his head like a black halo, in an attempt to brush it (which, however, failed miserably). With his bow on his back, he walked out, and started his way towards the Twilight Plaza. There was something important happening, judging by the fact that the usual fountain was replaced by a stage.

He stopped next to a young ranger he has met a few times before, and softly poked him into the ribs with his elbow. "Good morning, Atlas... Do you have any idea what's happening up there?"

[Zero]

Tesha was lounging, leaning against a nearby building as she watched what was going on in the Twilight Plaza with bored sapphire eyes. The crowd was just milling about without a purpose, and both the Shadow King and Shadow Master was silent except perhaps whispers between each other. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but was impatient to find out. Pulling her fine silver hair over her shoulder she combed her fingers through the silken strands while trying to be patient. Her shadow spirit, Dizzy the mink, was curled up in a pouch at her waist, his head peeked out to watch what was going on around them.

A gigantic white tiger lay curled around her feet, and she knew the presence she felt hovering nearby had to be her father, Nahant didn't go anywhere that her master did not go. Tesha ignored the shadow spirit and Tershal both, not allowing her eyes to so much as flicker to the large man beside her. It galled her to think that her father was keeping an eye on her. Did he honestly think something bad would happen inside the Clockwork City? Or maybe he was worried about her causing trouble. Both ideas had her scowling. The thought that perhaps her father just wanted to spend some time with her, even just a few minutes, didn't cross her mind.


On the other side of the plaza, Zander stood out from the crowd like a sore thumb. It was common knowledge that he was strange, nobody had ever contested this fact, even when he first came to the Vigilant as a boy to train with the other fledglings. Among the sea of black and grey armor, he was like a shining beacon of white. His wool clothes were bright, comfortable and didn't even pretend to be any form of armor. Despite how readily his garb stood out, only those new to the Vigilant or the young so much as gave him a second glance. All the older rangers were used to his lack of blending in.

An albino raven sat upon the albino man's shoulder, drawing both as much and as little attention than its master. Lux was also a well-known anomaly. It wasn't exactly normal for a shadow spirit to take the appearance of an albino, but considering the ranger it belonged to everyone just shrugged it off as being something to do with the ranger-shadow spirit bond. Like master like shadow?

[KingInTheNorth]

Dreylin sat on a crate observing the plaza. He caught Zander so obviously standing out due to his extremely pale skin and white hair. Dreylin kept looking at all the people interacting and was unimpressed by the way they handled themselves. They all looked so clumsy and slow to him. Of course, he wouldn't care for long as he observed the women. His eyes kept moving across until he saw a woman leaning against a building. Her beauty seemed to contradict they way she was mannered. He could tell just by the way she stood that she was rough.

Dreylin stood up from his seat. He began to walk through the crowd to her. She, with grey armor, stood out from the rest but was also well hidden. As he pushed his way through the crowd he noticed some strange conversations.

He smiled and approached her,"Hello, miss. Might I ask your name?", he said with a slight smirk.

[Zero]

"Fledgling training didn't end that long ago, I know you passed your Rites a couple years ahead of me Shadow Ranger Zambire, but if that short span of time is long enough for you to forget my name then perhaps you aren't worthy of knowing it." Tesha replied curtly, sapphire eyes not even sparing the tall ranger that had approached her a precursory glance.

They hadn't been what you would call friends as Fledglings, as she recalled he was nothing more than an arrogant, egotistical jackass, but then again, he was a male and that seemed to be their default setting. That thought had her smirking as she let her eyes roam over the crowd, now seeking out those she knew. Maybe if she spotted Kenneth she could use him as an out to slip away from Dreylin. The last thing she needed was a pompous Shadow Ranger hitting on her.

[KingInTheNorth]

He gave a puzzling look to her. "Oh yes, Tesha...", He said in a annoyed voice. He then remembered her. Always one to be adventurous and different. He remembered their training from a few years back. She was never one to let a man dictate her life. Nor so, a woman, matter of fact. Dreylin changed his tone when she gave him attitude.

"Excuse me for forgetting Tesha. I know you, always mucking about like you've got something to prove.", He said.

He smirked and pulled out his pipe. Lighting it up he observed Tesha.

"Always fixin' to be the center of attention, cute.", he said sarcastically.

[Wicked Basket]

The main advantage of being silent was that you heard everything. This was a fact that Jacob had took to heart years ago. This fact also led to him overhearing the exchange between Tesha and Dreylin with his enhanced hearing. It seemed as though Dreylin was causing trouble again. In the blink of an eye, Jacob teleported and was standing right behind Dreylin.

"Though she has chosen to be a Ranger instead of Dark Mother, that does not mean she should be shown any less respect," he said sternly.

[KingInTheNorth]

Dreylin sighed and turned to Jacob. Dreylin's eyes were locked on Jacob.

"Here comes the mascot. Whats it like, being a blind fool?", Dreylin said daringly. Dreylin took a step towards Jacob. He put his finger on him,"This ain't your business. Step off."

[Zane]

Alucard nodded one last time to Koraq, they were nearing being able to begin. They had decided that there needed to be some kind of day of rest, a break for everyone from the day in and day out responsibilities. And so Every year, on this day, there would be two days of relaxation and various events. In many ways, it were a Celebration, a city wide games of sorts.

Stepping forward, finally ready to address the crowd as a whole, instead of occasional nods and acknowledgements. "Ladies, Gentlemen, Shadows, Rangers, Dark Mothers, and Fledgelings. In honor of all your hard work and great effort put forth. The King and I have elected to reward the city as a whole. In many places around the continent, they have harvest festivals, where the celebrate the camaraderie and fellowship of each other, also to give thanks for a plentiful harvest. Well here in the Clockwork City, we will today begin a new tradition, The Shadow Solace. For the next two days, you can do as you choose. Eat, drink, be merry. Practice, Train, or for today only, have a duel with anyone in the ranks of Rangers should they choose to accept. Do we have any takers?"

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Vixen yapped at Amlan unappreciatively for touching her master without her consent. Atlas nodded him a small greeting, however, his mind was elsewhere. Atlas was instead watching the events play out between Tesha, Dreylin, and Jacob. Atlas had no love for Dreylin, the arrogant and egotistical bastard wore the banner of Pure Vigilant like it were some grand noble birthright. Tesha was someone he remembered from his Fledgeling years, she once beat the shit out of him during unarmed combat training, but at least she didn't flaunt that in his face. So she was alright. But what set his blood to boil was Dreylin's comment to Jacob, the Ranger may have been blind but he was a damned good man, especially if you needed someone to rely on.

When the call was made for any challenges, there were lots of hushed whispers and excited speculating. Atlas spoke up, loud as he could manage. "I challenge Ranger Dreylin Zambire." The effect was instantaneous, the lull of conversation was quickly extinguished, and many pairs of eyes turned to see if the Pure Vigilant Ranger would accept the challenge of Ranger who had been recruited.

[KingInTheNorth]

Dreylin stood for a second, frozen. His face looked up at Atlas. He knew he was about to get his ass beat. He thought for a second, yes i am a great swordsman, no i'm not as good as atlas.

With a quick sigh he stepped forward, "I accept your challenge. On one condition," he continued," I get to win.", he said with a chuckle.

[Zane]

Ah, smack talk. One of the greatest things about any one on one duel. Climbing up onto the stone stage, he called back. "So does that mean you are declining my challenge?" The Ranger called forth Lightseeker and Daybreak from his Barracks. The cruel and unforgiving razor edges of the chakrams glinted in the soft blue light of the crystals that illuminated the city.

Atlas shook his head ever so slightly, banishing his two favored blades away for his old training chakrams, made from Iron Wood, they packed a wallop of a punch, but they lacked any sort of cutting edge. "Don't worry Dreylin, I will go easy on you, maybe that way you can leave stage with your ego somewhat intact." Big words spoken be a man of rather short stature, and though his challenge was quite the tall order, there was little doubt that Atlas could deliver on every point he made. Despite the fact that his opponent was nearly a full head taller than him.

[Wicked Basket]

Jacob was about to put the young ranger in his place when Atlas spoke up and challenged Dreylin to a duel. Jacob was just about to do the same thing, but it appeared that Atlas had got to it first. If by some miracle Dreylin won, then Jacob would challenge him. If Atlas won, then that should be punishment enough. Few things are more humbling than being beaten in front of your peers.

"You're lucky he challenged you first," Jacob threatened. "There's no room in the Vigilant Shadows for insolence such as yours."

With that, Jacob walked away. He was off to meld back into the crowd so that he could watch the duel unnoticed. It should be quite interesting to see if Dreylin's swordsmanship was as potent as his pride. Atlas' words were pretty big as well, but Jacob believed that Atlas would be more capable of delivering.

[KingInTheNorth]

He gave Jacob a stern look after his comments. Dreylin grabbed a training sword and began to take practice swing,stabs,and slashes. Though he could not use his signature sword, ice. He was confident still in his abilities. Stepping up to Atlas he smirked and moved his hand out in a handshake gesture.

[Zane]

Altas accepted the handshake. The moment the two rangers clasp hands, Alucard grabbed their wrists. "The fight ends if one of you are knocked out off this stone platform, when one of the two of you yield, or if I intervene. Do you understand?" Atlas nodded then stepped back two paces when he was released. He faced Derylin full front, the two ashwood chakrams spinning around his middle finger at an seemingly ever increasing speed.

"Fight!" Alucard's voice rang out.

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OOC: Sorry if I disrupted your plans for a surprise attack D8, I just wanted to set up the perimeters of the fight!

[KingInTheNorth]

Dreylin held his sword in one hand and kept the other free. He stepped forward with his left foot and swung his sword with his right hand at the shins of Atlas in a attempt to make him slower.

[Zane]

With a slight jerk of his wrist, Atlas sent the two wooden disks with a high velocity towards Dreylin. He was almost certain that Dreylin would be able to deflect them, his goal wasn't the first strike although it would be nice. Charging at his opponent, Atlas pivoted his feet and lept, spinning over the wooden practice sword and over Dreylin. Landing behind him, Atlas reached out to snag the two chakrams, they would have curved back around thanks to the high rotation speed.

[KingInTheNorth]

Dreylin immediately responded to the throwing of the chakras by holding his sword up in defense. After his strike, when Atlas jumped over him Dreylins eyes and, in turn, sword, followed him. stalking his every move. He then took a step back and switched the grip of his sword to having the blade behind him. Next, he charged forward faking a high attack then sliding low in an attempt to throw Atlas off guard.

[Zane]

'watch the eyes' Zander's voice came back to Atlas now in this fight. The old teacher has made sure that one thing stayed in the forefront of his mind. And it was thanks to the albino's advice that Atlas saw through the feint.

Clasping the two chakrams out in front of him so the wooden rings extended his striking distance by almost eight inches, Atlas moved one hand down to intercept the low sword. Simultaneously striking forward with his other chakram aided fist with three blows, two aimed at the gut and one aimed at the chest.