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Sticky Situation

Started by Camrie, December 14, 2016, 08:40:56 AM

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Camrie

Of all the places he had thought he would end up, Zantaric was not one of them. A veritable beehive of thieves and questionable characters, it was a village that didn't exactly call to him. Caderin kept his head low as he walked along the dirt path, past merchants hawking wares that were likely stolen, past people who appeared to want to be recognized just as little as he did. Mythranys was perched on his good shoulder, crouching low and hissing at any who drew too near. They had simply been wandering, but having lost track of their location, they had realized that their feet had led them here, of all places. Though the Fallen Prince had been forced to lodge in some unsavory locales since the events leading to his status as a fugitive, this village was in another league entirely. He adjusted the strap of his sword crossed over his chest, violet and crimson eyes glaring at any who happened to stare too long. While he was a respectable man, it was wise to project a threatening aura when surrounded by such individuals. He was quite tall, and towered above most, except for the odd troll or otherwise. His black mercenary style coat was worn with the collar folded up to cover his neck, the scar on his face seeming more livid and fierce in such a situation. He brushed a hand over his stubbled jaw, eyeing the surroundings with wariness. The sooner they ventured out of this place, the better.

Mythranys seemed on edge, making a constant rumble in his chest as his vaguely feline form of shadows drifted and twisted. Large ears swiveled, slit pupils going thin as the dark Phouka dug his claws into his coat with nervous energy. The jungle climate was muggy, birds calling in the distance as bugs whizzed about. He tried to keep himself out of people's notice, but he found that the closer he got to the heart of the village, the more difficult it was. Some gave him odd looks, others narrowing their eyes. He felt an ominous charge in the air, but it intensified when a huge form lumbered to a stop directly in his path. A hideous ogre stood with his beefy arms crossed only scant feet away, large tusks protruding from his mouth. His eyes were piggy and small on a warped face, skin of grey tint. His voice was gruff, deep, booming.
"Arena battles- place 'yer bets, win some coin, kick some arse."
He advertised in his baritone, sounding rude and imposing as he leaned in, taller than even Cade by at least three feet. His stench was overwhelming, and the mischievous phouka made a noise of disgust and pressed against his master's neck. He kept his voice quiet and even, stance relaxed, though he was ready for anything.
"Not interested."
He said simply, attempting to get around the ogre. An arm like a tree trunk shot out, blocking his path once again. The ugly creature seemed more threatening now, growling with breath like rotten meat.
"Trust me, yer interested, pretty boy. Or elseways, you'll be participatin' whether ya feel in the mood or no."
Caderin lifted his head, demeanor as stormy as a maelstrom, dark and mysterious. Shadows seemed to move towards him from alleyways and buildings, bending not in their normal direction, but facing him as if he were their master. Mythranys snarled, razor teeth gleaming like ivory daggers. While Cade would not like to be in some bloodmatch against some thief, vicious looking people were beginning to gather around him, knives and swords and meaty fists poised. He could perhaps project his ability of sensing fears, but with a crowd this large, such magic would be risky. And he could not challenge all at once with his sword. With so many around him, he could not transport to someplace he could see, and he was no coward to portal to an inn or something that he had been before. The simpest option seemed, at the moment, to go to the arena, fight his fight, and get out of here. Squaring his shoulders, he smiled in an almost sinister way, flashing long, sharp canines like a dog's. Black shadowfire emanated from his hands, and he bowed to the devilish men like the picture of a gentleman.
"Lead the way, sir."





OOC: anyone up for an arena spar? :D not til death, only slight maiming allowed if that's your thing- doesn't have to get that serious if we don't want it to

Bunbun

From the moment that Lanai had stepped foot in the village of Zantaric, it had been painfully obvious that she didn't belong. Her bright and vibrant colours clashed with the muddy blacks and browns of the surroundings, doing an excellent job at drawing attention to her which was, of course, not exactly a favourable position to be in. Her eyes darted around with a sense of curiosity that gave off the impression that she was lost, in stark contrast with the shifty and shady eyes of those around her. Yet, despite all this, Lanai didn't appear to be intimidated in the slightest by any of the suspicious looks she got from passers-by. She held a certain aura of confidence about herself, one that might be considered admirable in any place aside from the one the currently found herself travelling through. Truly, it seemed that she had no business wandering around a place like this.

Yet here she was, still as energetic as she would be on any other day. She'd heard quite a few rumours about Zantaric, particularly those that described it as a den for criminals of all kinds. What better place was there to catch a few evildoers, teach them a lesson or two, and hand them over to the proper authorities? Well, what Lanai hadn't realized when she set off for Zantaric was the fact that there weren't any authority figures to report to. Pretty much everyone in this place was a criminal of some kind, and they cared very little about each other's crimes unless they were personally affected by them. Now, the woman certainly possessed bravery, but there was a certain point when an act ceased to be brave and instead became plain suicidal. So, as much as she didn't want to, she eventually began to make her way back out of the village. She didn't get very far, though, before she was interrupted by a couple of shady looking guys who apparently thought something was pretty funny. They'd "invited" her to participate in an arena fight- while she wasn't particularly excited about participating in such an event, she got the feeling that she had little choice in the matter. The last thing she needed was to get mauled by an angry mob. At least if she went along with this, she might get to teach a lesson to some well-deserving criminal.

Such was how she now found herself waiting near the entrance of the arena, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her soon-to-be opponent, whoever it was. To be honest, she had no idea what she was getting into; the upcoming fight could be incredibly easy, brutally difficult, or anything in between. She'd never been one to back down from a challenge, though, and this was no exception. Trying to get herself psyched up, the woman straightened her back and slowly ran her finger across the edge of her knife. It might have been considered unnerving, if it weren't for the fact that everything else about Lanai made it so that she could hardly be considered "intimidating".

Camrie

Being herded into the correct spot in the arena was a process, for certain. As they approached the dilapidated, but massive building, Cade examined every inch of what he could see, assessing, planning, as he always did. People were perched high atop railings around the circular structure, or at the sidelines separated from the fighting area by rusted iron bars. They jeered and cackled as the Eloquir was led into a thin chute, and locked inside. He realized it was like his bull pen, as it were, the small gate leading into the centric pit. Mythranys, perched on his shoulder, gave him a look that spoke volumes. The Phouka would not be in this fight- it would be too dangerous for the small fae. Cade nodded very slowly, whispering something into the creature's ear. The shadowy shape nodded somberly, and in a wisp of Shadowfire, disappeared. The Fallen Prince took a deep breath, attempting to see into the opposite side of the arena for his would be opponent. He caught a flash of color, the glint of a blade- but it was difficult to see. Soon catcalls arose from the crowd, urging him foreword. He bared his sharp teeth at them, but moved towards the gate, swinging it open with a noisy creak and entering the soft sand of the fighting area. He could see his adversary clearly now.

It was a woman, dressed in leather armor dyed in bright tones. Her wings were a maelstrom of colors, beautiful, in an unorthodox way, like a tropical bird. She was painted with tatoos, and she held in her hand a strange knife embellished with sharp teeth along its edge. A spear could also be seen, not yet drawn. His own obsidian sword remained strapped into its hilt on his back- he would not use it unless necessary. He didn't wish to kill anyone, or hurt them without cause. His mercenary coat was without armor, collar still turned up. He straightened to his full height, finding himself taller than her by over two feet. His violet and crimson eyes looked her over with careful deliberation, seeming to shift and change in their hues. His Shadowfire twisted up his forearms, wild black hair rustling in the light afternoon breeze. The space was enclosed, and he glanced around, feeling a twinge of trepidation- he suffered from nearly debilitating claustrophobia, and while this place wasn't small, he knew that if he had been kept in that narrow chute for any length of time, he would have lost it. But he would be fine now, he just needed to fight this fight and return to a nice inn somewhere. He nodded politely to His opponent, bowing just slightly.
"I gather it's you and me, miss. It would be a shame to keep these heathens waiting, yeah? I wish you the best of fortune."
He said in his rough, lightly accented voice, lips twitching in a grudging, but reassuring half smile. He winked, just to lighten the mood, grinning with a flash of his dog like canines as he rolled his shoulders back and moved to the edge of his side, allowing her ample space to enter the pit and take their positions. He prepared himself for anything, knowing that appearances could be deceiving. He would use whatever weapons were necessary, but he hoped this woman was of good intent. No doubt she was in the same boat as him, caught and forced.





Bunbun

A sudden resurgence in the murmurings of the spectators alerted Lanai to the fact that her opponent had arrived. She glanced up from her knife to make eye contact with the newcomer, who was not the kind of person she had expected to be facing at all. He had some strange characteristics about him,  possessing some human-like qualities as well as some animalistic ones. A subtle shadowy mist surrounded him, hinting at some sort of magical abilities that had yet to reveal themselves. He carried a sword with him, made out of what appeared to be obsidian- while Lanai was familiar with the substance itself, she couldn't say that she'd ever seen a weapon crafted from it. The man didn't look like he intended on using it, though, as it simply hung passively across his back. Come to think about it, he didn't look like he had been planning on fighting at all- the lack of armour and the way he conducted himself made him distinct from the surrounding criminals. He definitely didn't look like the type of person who spent a who spent a whole lot of time brawling in an arena. To be fair, though, neither did she.

A bit confused by the man's refusal to draw his weapon, Lanai stared thoughtfully at her spear before slowly lifting it up and resting it against the wall at the edge of the arena. She then looked down at the knife still gripped in her hand, twirling it around anxiously for a second, then deftly sliding it into a sheath placed near her hip. She wasn't much of a fist fighter, but she also wasn't about to attempt to impale an unarmed man to death if it wasn't necessary. Hearing the man's comment, Lanai gave a short nod of her own before giving her response.

"Yes. Let us give them a reason to be more respectful in the future."

She glanced around at the gathering crowd, growing more exhilarated by the moment despite their jeers. Attention was something that she enjoyed receiving a lot of, even if it wasn't the good kind of attention. There was also a part of her that wanted to perform well just so that they would shut their mouths. In any case, she definitely wasn't in the mood to back down from this fight, even if she really didn't know if this man was dangerous or not. Putting herself into a more combat-oriented stance, the woman clenched her hands into fists and held them in front of her in order to keep the rest of her body protected. Her wings started to pump at a moderate pace, and she constantly shifted her weight between her feet so that she would be ready to move at any moment. However, she didn't make any attempt to attack, instead relying on the possibility that her opponent would choose to strike first. Her plan was to leap out of the way of whatever a planned to throw at her, then use the ensuing opening to counter with an attack of her own.

Camrie

Cade's colorful eyes watched the girl closely, observant as she let her spear rest against the arena wall, sheathing her knife. So, it was to be a fistfight. He smiled just so, one tiny quirk of the corner of his mouth to let her know he wouldn't draw his weapon on her and cheat their unspoken agreement. This time he did bow, not caring if she took advantage of the movement- it was polite. His tangle of hair seemed to rustle as the shadows formed around him, seeming malignant to the jeering, screaming audience, but not meant to cause fear for his opponent. They mostly seemed involuntary, as if in his emotion the shadows simply leapt to him, surrounding him like a faint, threatening aura. He, too, brought his fists up, the knuckles scarred from many such incidents. He rotated his shoulders, stretching his neck in an attempt to loosen up his body. He didn't like fighting, even though he was very good at it. Blood made him think of his best friend, lying dead in his arms. His violet and crimson gaze darkened for a mere moment at the memory,  but he quickly brushed it away, wanting to carry on with the task at hand. Her words made him grin, in a way that may have seemed flirtatious in a less strained situation.
"I agree, madam. Time to teach these heathens some good manners."
He glanced at the stadium then, letting his intimidating deameanor shine through- not for his opponent, like a normal person might have done, but instead, at the beasts who thought this sport was good fun. Tendrils of shadows bent away from their owners, from the objects around the arena, facing inward as they formed shapes like figures with talons grasping at the crowd. Some grew edgy as the ethereal illusions clawed at their feet.
"You should always know what you are catching in your trap, little spiders."
He said with a chuckle, sending the girl a look just so she knew it was all -mostly- an act. He was a gentleman, true, but he was not tame.

He turned back her way, and decided that if they were to get this done, one would have to make the first move. He bared sharp teeth so that their little stage play would seem even more real, for they were playing two different games at once now; to fight the other, and to see to it that these people wouldn't attempt this again for a long time. The battle however, he knew, was all too real. He advanced, slowly at first, then quicker, toned body sliding into a sweep kick as he attempted to knock the girl's feet out from under her. His voice rose just loud enough for her to hear as he tried to grab her in his wiry arms.
"Kick my ass, Miss- someone has to."
He murmured with a husky laugh, ready for the real fight to get underway as the rush pumped through his veins. Even though this situation should have seemed daunting or at the very least upsetting, and while he didn't want to hurt the winged girl, in that moment he felt truly alive.

Bunbun

Lanai barely even flinched when she saw the shadows begin to emanate from the man's body. Even as the surrounding crowds seemed to quiet down a little as they were threatened by the darkness, she stood vigilant with little to no change in her facial expression. From the way he was acting, it didn't seem like the shadowy man intended to frighten her... but to be entirely honest, it probably wouldn't have worked even if he did. Very few things tended to genuinely scare her, and what appeared to be harmless illusions were not included on that list. As far as she was concerned, there was no need for her to be afraid of the person before her, even if they were destined to trade blows in only a few moments.

His magic may not have gone very far in causing Lanai to worry, but the longer she stared at him, the more... off he seemed. He seemed almost relaxed despite the situation he was in, performing a couple gestures that she was unfamiliar with. Perhaps this was a common thing to do among mainlanders, but she couldn't really picture any of the crowd members doing so. It felt like there was some sort of response she was supposed to do, but if there was, she had no way of knowing what it was. As such, she just sort of stood there, giving him a puzzled look until he had returned to an upright position. She didn't seem to respond to anything he did, except when his eyes momentarily shifted to a more serious shade. There was something behind them, something beyond simply not wanting to fight for fear of someone getting hurt. It almost made her want to give up, to try some other way to appease the crowds, but no- she knew that neither her nor her opponent could leave until one of them fell, either from exhaustion or some really convincing theatrics.

She averted her gaze as the mysterious man began to make his way over to her- she couldn't bear to look at those eyes, at least not before attempting to beat their owner into submission. Her own eyes would instead remain glued to the ground until the last possible moment, at which point they would dart forwards with renewed resolve. Now was the time to act on her strategy; if she got hit right off the bat, then she might as well just give up. Giving one final pump of her wings, Lanai leapt backwards, using the force provided to propel herself slightly into the air. She hung there for a split second, observing Caderin's approach and giving him a stern nod before abruptly flapping her wings once more and diving downwards like a bird of prey. Deftly slipping under his grasp, she attempted to keep one of his arms preoccupied with her own, while her tattooed arm shot forwards in preparation for a strike. At this point, were she hunting, Lanai would've attempted to strike at the neck with her knife. Seeing as she wasn't trying to kill someone, however, she instead curled up her arm and aimed for the man's chin with a swift elbow jab.

Camrie

Cade saw her arm snap forward, flesh hit flesh with a sickening thwack and he stumbled back, holding his jaw and grinning ruefully.
"Nice one,"
He praised with an impressed nod before launching forward, knowing that letting her win out of chivalry was not an option here. Whoever won would do it on their ability alone. His wiry muscles contracted, and his forearm tensed as he tossed a hook for her cheek, not pausing as he followed it with another attempt to slam his free fist into her side. He danced backwards then, giving each of them the seconds they needed to recover. The arena seemed like it was getting smaller, making his heart pound with adrenaline. His debilitating phobia began to rise up ominously, like a threat whispered at the corner of his mind. With the bodies packed tightly in the stands and the closeness between himself and his opponent, claustrophobia seized him. This, coupled with the screams of blood lusty bystanders and the harsh ba dum, ba dum of his heartbeat in his ears, made him bare his teeth in a grimace of wild savagery, like an injured dog cornered. His pupils shrunk to pinpoints, and the shadows clawing at the audience wavered and shrieked, becoming more tangible, like smoke rather than darkness. He bit his lip so hard he tasted blood, and his shoulders shook with strain as he turned back to face the girl. His hand was against his chest, feeling the steady pounding thrum of his pulse as he tried to call himself.
"I...apologize-" he choked, voice sounding thick and pained, scratchy. "It would be best if we continued. I- I don't think this proximity...."
He trailed off as he swallowed back bile. All he knew was that he had to get to a wider open space. He shifted his stance until he was bent slightly, legs wider to brace his feet from falls, fists up and head low. The shadows wailed like tortured souls, causing some of the watchers to yelp. He threw himself into a swift lunge, nearly a blur of darkness as he attempted to flip her into her back, drawing his fist back as an apology called from his wild eyes.






(in thinking either they either kick each others asses some mors, or maybe they could work together to escape and we can continue the thread as a more laid back version, it's up to you, I am in love with either XD)

Bunbun

She felt her elbow connect with his jaw, sending intense vibrations through her arm and alerting her to the fact that perhaps she'd struck a little harder than she'd originally intended. Her momentum from the strike caused her to lurch forwards slightly, leaving her more vulnerable to attacks. Normally, this wouldn't be too much of a problem, because at this point whatever she was fighting would either be dead or otherwise incapacitated. Fights with Lanai had a tendency to be over pretty quickly, so a more drawn out battle put her out of her element. Soon enough, she would feel the consequences of letting her guard down; One fist collided harshly with her face, while the other connected with her side. Her armour offered a certain amount of protection from the second blow, though it took a bit of willpower not to double over then and there. As for the first blow, though, she wasn't nearly as lucky. In an instant, her world was suddenly spinning, and for a moment Lanai was completely unaware of what was going on. She stumbled backwards a few steps, her eyes squinting momentarily as her vision began to blur. Though she couldn't hear with perfect clarity, she could her the sounds of the crowd grow increasingly more nervous, as well as a muffled voice coming from her opponent. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but whatever it was, something felt... off about it. This fight needed to end soon, before it escalated to the point where someone got seriously injured.

Lanai shook her head vigorously, attempting to snap back into reality and get back into fighting condition. Her vision finally began to clear, only for her to look up and notice that Cade was already preparing for another attack. He was approaching at an absurdly fast pace- she decided to use this against him, forcefully thrusting out her arm towards his chest. She was aiming to knock the wind out of him, which could give her a big advantage and ultimately result in the fight being over more quickly. However, it wasn't enough to completely nullify the force of his lunge, and Lanai suddenly found herself getting knocked off of her feet. Her wings beat frantically in a desperate attempt to keep her body upright, but this was quickly put to a stop as she landed on them, sending a small cloud of dust into the air. Pain erupted through her wings, and her eyes shot wide open, instantly becoming more alert then they'd ever been before. Spurred on by pure adrenaline, the girl used one arm to push herself into an upright sitting position, while the other was held out in front of her as some sort of shield. It wasn't much in terms of protection, but at least it was something.


((I was thinking it could escalate a little before they escaped, just enough for them to get a little banged up. I'm terrible to my characters :P))

Camrie

His jaw stung where her first blow had landed, entire side of his face pounding and most likely bruising. It had been a solid hit, without a doubt. He would be lucky if it was not concussed. He made his move, face stormy with instinct and ferocity as he became nearly blind to the world. An involuntary snarl loosed from his lips, sounding animalistic. She hit the ground, colorful wings beating as she thrust an arm into his chest, knowicking the wind out of him and making him release an oomph of pain. Dust flew into the air, and he heard her own cry as the bits flew into his eyes. He stumbled back, arms out, trying to feel a wall before he fell. Not seeing- this darkness- made his panic intensify. This was too close to his time in that tiny hole, dark and cold and alone, unable to move as he prayed for death to take him. Shadows from around the arena erupted, sensing their master's distress. They rushed towards him as if he were their magnet, and in an instant, he was breathed in Shadowfire, like a dark, twisted inferno of night. The fire, though, did not burn; it was cold, cold enough to cause frostbite with just a touch. He dropped to his knees, hands over his eyes as he commanded the shadows to leave him, needing to see, needing to escape the small space and the bitter memories. His form shifted, his ability to shapechange revealed, until he was a small wyvern, no bigger than a man, with pitch black scales and eyes that were remarkably human. Though the beast screeched as if it were feral, clawing at the earth with taloned wings, it's remarkably human eyes were full of panic and sadness. It hissed, revealing sharp, snakelike teeth, spines around his neck and tail standing on end. He was lost to fear and the fury of a trapped monster. His eyes, now free of grit, caught the girl on the ground, and he roared to the winds, a challenge of animal who would do anything to survive.





Ooc: I'm thinking he could bite her or something of that nature XD anything that happens next as far as injuries to is up to you, I'm cool with anything <3 I don't mind what shes got to do, as long as he's alive afterwords lol

Bunbun

Lanai waited in her defensive position as her opponent stumbled away, eventually collapsing to the ground much like she'd done a few seconds ago. It was a little confusing- she didn't think she'd hit him that hard- but she did take the opportunity to pick herself up off the ground, albeit rather shakily. Her wings and face throbbed painfully as blood began to rush to them, but she knew that there was no time to worry about that- she just hoped that the wings weren't too badly injured, or she could be in big trouble. Seeing as Cade was still on the ground, though, she decided to wait until he got back up... but he never did. Instead, he stayed grounded on his knees as the shadowy figures he'd previously summoned suddenly returned to him, surrounding him until his whole body was wreathed in fire. Even though there was some distance between the combatants, Lanai could feel the effects of the flames; in contrast to what fire normally did, this one radiated a chilling aura. Something was clearly wrong, and despite how much she wished she could go up and help, she knew that approaching something that cold without proper protection was much too dangerous. There was nothing left for her to do but wait, watching as the form kneeling before her began to morph into something distinctly not human. After a few moments, what stood before her was no longer a man, but instead a creature she'd never encountered before- a wyvern. Its features were dark and sinister, yet it still retained those shimmering eyes of the form it previously held.

Taking a few steps back, the girl felt her fingers instinctively start reaching for her knife, but she forced herself to resist. She couldn't risk drawing her weapon, as that would likely only make the beast even more panicked than it was now. Instead, she did something that would be considered by most to be borderline suicidal- instead of answering the challenge with aggression, she started walking forward completely unarmed. She continued until the shadowy wyvern was nearly within arm's length of her, at which point she slowly extended her marked arm forwards in an offering of peace. It was clear that this fight had gone too far, and Lanai refused to let it escalate any further, even if that meant she had to risk getting hurt. Considering the position she was in, her expression was remarkably calm, though her eyes were wide- not necessarily filled with fear, but instead full of concern.


((Ooooh, that'd be interesting!))

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